A Kiss is Just a Kiss Unless It's Something Else
by Lieutenant Caine
Summary: Frank and Calleigh go undercover. Rating is now an M due to the language. Also I have changed the Genre from Humor to Drama.
1. Chapter 1

**A Kiss Is Just a Kiss…Unless it's Something Else**

Horatio and Frank stood looking at the couple seated in the conference room. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Holstrom from Plano, Texas were visiting Miami on a trip given to them by their children for their 35th anniversary. What should have been a joyous 10 days had turned into an unadulterated nightmare for them instead. They were victims of identity theft and fraud and were stranded hundreds of miles from home, now penniless and without a place to stay and no way to get back to the Lone Star State. The discouragement evident on their faces touched a nerve in Horatio's compassionate nature. Excusing himself from the conversation with Frank he approached the couple and sat down in the chair next to the husband.

"Mr. Holstrom…, Ma'am. My name is Lieutenant Horatio Caine and I'm with the Miami-Dade crime lab. How are…how are you holding up?"

"Well now, to be truthful officer…" the thick Texas twang of Mr. Holstrom's voice almost put a grin on Horatio's face, but he schooled his expression into one that showed only concern and polite attention. "…I had more fun last year a'watchin' my crops dry up. If this here is Florida's idea of hospitality, I reckon I'd just as soon pass on it."

"I understand, Sir. But I assure you that most Floridians are not like the person who ruined your trip."

"My trip? Heck, man, what about my credit card and ID." Here the agitated Texan pointed a calloused finger at Horatio's face. "If'n I was to catch this here criminal, I'd show him the business end of my ole huntin' rifle."

"Now, Freddy, calm yerself. You know what the doctor done said about getting' too excited about things." This from Mrs. Holstrom.

"Maybelina, I ain't a getting' too excited, just statin' plain ole truth of the matter. Officer Caine, here understands."

Horatio watched the exchange between husband and wife with a look of patient understanding glimmering in his eyes. It was obvious to him that these two had seen a lot together and he had a suspicion they would pull through this problem with no less tenacity. He allowed a small smile to play over his lips before commenting.

"I'd hate to take sides other than the side of the law, but I have to say that Mrs. Holstrom has the right idea at the moment. Why don't…why don't you let me do the worrying about this case. Can you do that for me, Mr. Holstrom?"

"Well, now if'n the two of you are a gonna double team me, I don't reckon I've got much of a choice, do I?" Mr. Holstrom's wink let Horatio know that he was willing to let the right people look into the matter of his stolen credit card and gutted identity.

"That's a good man, Mr. Holstrom." Looking up, Horatio spotted a uniformed MDPD officer standing just outside the conference room. "Now, you see that officer? He's going to be taking you to your hotel for the evening. The department has taken care of everything for you…room, food, and a rental car for the duration of your stay."

"Well now, that's mighty kind of you, Officer Caine. Too bad we didn't meet you first on our trip. We might of had a different opinion of this place."

"I'm hoping you'll give me a chance to change your first impression, Mr. Holstrom." Horatio stood and motioned for the officer to come into the conference room.

"Tyler, these folks are to be taken to the Royal Palms Garden. Their rooms are already reserved for them."

"Yes, Sir, Lieutenant." The young officer smiled at his two charges and motioned toward the door. "If you'll just come with me, Ma'am, Sir."

"Thank you, Officer Caine," Mr. Holstrom called out as he and his wife of 35 years left the room. "Maybe we'll see you later."

"Count on it." Horatio replied.

After the couple left, Horatio rejoined Frank who picked up the thread of their previous conversation. The big detective felt a personal sentiment about the case since the Holstroms were from his home state.

"How are they, 'ratio?"

"They'll be fine, Frank. Salt of the earth kind of folks; tough and tenacious. They'll do just fine."

"Just sits wrong with me for visitors to be mistreated," Frank grumped aloud.

Horatio looked at his friend with a gleam in his eye before speaking again.

"How would you like to be able to do something about it, Frank?"

"You really have to ask that?"

"Careful my friend. Don't volunteer before you know what I have in mind."

"I'm all ears. Lay it on me." Frank's eager expression bore witness to his readiness to do something about the issue.

"Okay. Tell me what we know about this case."

"What we know about this case?" Frank's eyebrows rose into his non-existant hairline. "Hell, 'ratio, you know more about it than I do and you're askin' me?"

"Humor me, Frank," was Horatio's wry answer.

"Well,...This is our 4th couple in three months that has been victimized. All four were from out of state. All four were either comfortable financially, or they were very wealthy,,,"

"Yes…yes…" Horatio's voice held a note of impatience.

"Where you going with this, 'ratio?"

"What was the common thread with all four couples?" Horatio quizzed his friend.

"Well, they all four were on vacatio…wait a minute. They all four mentioned being at the Surf and Shore Bar just shortly before they realized that their credit cards were maxed out and canceled."

"Spot on, Francis."

"Ah. So you think a trip to the S and S Bar is in order?"

"I do. But…" Horatio stopped midsentence and looked closely at the big Texan.

"Your "but" always worries me, Horatio."

"You don't say, Francis." Horatio teased lightly.

"Oh, stuff it, 'ratio," Frank huffed at the redhead. "You know what I meant."

"Indeed, I do, Frank. Indeed I do. That's why we need to talk about it. The idea I have in mind includes Calleigh as well. You up for a little undercover work?"

"Undercover work with Calleigh? When would I not be ready to work undercover with her?" Frank's voice held more than mere admiration for a colleague.

"Yes, well. Come to my office and we'll iron out the details."

TBC

A/N I've been threatening to do a Frank and Cal fic for several years now and Athena finally came up with the plot for it. Happy Valentines Day to my readers.

Lieutenant Caine


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Antonio Rebadolla sat at his computer pecking away at the keyboard. His eyes followed the scrolling numbers that flowed across his screen and a smile split his face. After another evening's work at the Royal Palms Garden Restaurant he was some $50,000 richer, thanks to that country bumpkin couple from Texas. That amount was a drop in the bucket compared to the nights he waited tables at the Miami Shores Beach Club. The last gig there had brought him over $150,000.

"Credit cards," he snickered. "Don't leave home without 'em."

Humming softly to himself, Tony, as he was known to his employers, routed and re-routed the money in his actual account until finally it was resting in a secure location under an assumed name that even an experienced cyber cop would have had trouble locating. After applying two more safeguards to his ill-gotten gains, the young criminal genius stretched and looked at his watch.

"8: 35 Almost time to get to work, Tony boy. Better get in gear. We've got another night of food, fun and fraud ahead of us."

Tony unlocked and reached into the second desk drawer and withdrew a tray. It contained 5 identical black leather wallets, each with completely different Florida driver's licenses, and social security cards as well as numerous different credit cards. Five identical cell phones also lay inside and he pocketed one of those as well. Then he withdrew a small square credit card reader from its package, stuffed it into his pocket and stood to his feet.

Club Caliente was always one of his best locations to score major money with the credit card scam he had developed.

Once again checking the tools of his trade, Tony ran a hand through his thick, wavy black hair to smooth it and stepped out the door of his apartment. He got into his black Lamborghini and drove away into the night.

Had anyone been asked to describe the man named Antonio Rebadolla, they would have given a description of a totally different person, for not only was Tony a computer genius, he was also a master of disguise.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Horatio, Frank and Calleigh talked long into the evening, ironing out the particulars of their undercover operation. It had been decided for them by Horatio that they would be Mr. and Mrs. Royce Flanders from Louisiana. They were horse breeders and owned a string of reliable winners. Both Frank and Cal had been issued fake ID's, credit cards and Louisiana driver licenses. Royce and Marilyn Flanders were about to descend on the Miami night club scene with plenty of ready cash and credit cards in hopes of drawing out the scam artist who was targeting out of state visitors.

Frank ran a hand over the crisp new blue jeans that covered his thigh. He was dresed in typical western attire, befitting a horse breeder of his lofty status. Full quill ostrich skin boots covered his feet. He wore a dark blue western shirt with pearl snaps, and a black Resistol hat. He looked every inch a cowboy.

"You ready for this, Cal…I mean, Marilyn?" Frank winced at his slip of the tongue and looked at Horatio apologetially. A simple mistake like that could compromise the whole operation, not to mention possibly place both Calleigh and him in great danger.

"I'm ready, Royce," Calleigh placed the slightest emphasis on Frank's cover name and winked at him. Relax, Frank. You'll be fine and we make a great team. If you start to slip out of character, I'll kick you with the toe of my boot."

Frank looked down at Calleigh's feet and smiled broadly. Horatio had made sure that they were outfitted with clothes that went with their cover occupation. Consequently, Calleigh was dressed like something out of a cowboy's dream. Her tiny feet were encased in a pair of black and tan, Dan Post boots. She wore snug fitting Wrangler jeans and a turquoise blue brush popper shirt undone to the second pearl snap. An inch-wide leather belt with her name on the back encircled her tiny waist, and a Crumrine belt buckle the size of a small dinner plate graced the flat planes of her stomach. Her shimmering golden hair hung straight down her back, corralled by a hair clasp that matched her belt buckle. Atop her head perched a white Stetson hat.

Frank shook his head in wonderment and gave a low whistle. "If you ain't the prettiest filly I've seen in a long time."

"Don't you say just the most adorable things, honey." Calleigh giggled when Frank's entire face turned deep red at her words.

"Take it easy you too, especially you Francis," Horatio warned softly. "Don't get too immersed in the role."

"Me?" Frank shot back at his friend. "What about her? And besides, you want it to be authentic don't you?"

"Authentic, yes. Just be careful."

"I'm always careful, 'ratio."

"I hope so, my friend. I truly hope so," Horatio said.

A few more instructions for the "Louisiana" couple and Horatio rose from his seat to leave. He opened the front door and then glanced back over his shoulder, a look of near worry in his blue eyes.

"I"ll leave you to it now you two. Just be careful."

"Don't worry, Horatio. We'll be fine." Calleigh said softly.

Horatio nodded and then was gone, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Royce Flanders alone in the silence of the safe house on Papaya Street.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Tony rolled his shoulders slightly to loosen up the muscle tension that had crept into his shoulders during the evening shift. Even though his main objective was to bilk unsuspecting customers out of as much money as possible, he was indeed a good worker aside from his criminal tendencies. He could carry fully laden trays of food and drink atop his shoulder, perfectly balanced and never miss a step or spill a drop of any liquid. He was polite, charming, urbane, and had a way with even the most hateful of customers. Had he been inclined to live an honest life, his impeccable service toward the diners in the restaurants he worked at would have netted him hundreds of dollars in tips every night. In fact, at two of his work sites, there were regular customers who frequently requested that he serve them when they dined there during his shift. It was for this very reason that Tony only targeted those couples whom he could identify as "out of towners".

The moment the striking couple entered the dining area, Tony marked them as possible targets. Both of them were painfully out of place in full western regalia; hats, boots, and a western shirts. Tony half expected to hear the jingle of spurs as the man crossed the dining room with his lovely companion, toward a table in his section. Lady luck seemed to have sent him a big paycheck for the evening. If they paid with cash he was out of luck but if they used a credit card, they would never know what hit them. Waiting patiently until the two were seated, Tony approached them with a welcoming smile on his face.

"Good evening, Ma'am, Sir. Welcome to the Royal Palms Garden. My name is Tony, and I'll be taking care of you this evening. Would you like to start with drinks before dinner?"

"Now that's a dandy idea don't you think, Marilyn?' The big man had a thick southern accent and Tony couldn't help but smile. _What an easy mark this pair will be, _he thought.

"I think that's the best idea you've had all day, Royce. My but I'm tired after all that shopping, babe." The big man's accent was thick, but the blonde's was even more pronounced. _Texas perhaps, or maybe Alabama, Georgia maybe… _

"Pardon my saying folks, but your accents say you aren't from Miami. I assume you're visiting. Vacation maybe?" Tony gave the blonde his best charming smile and was rewarded with a smile in return that rivaled his own.

"Is it that obvious? We're from Louisiana," she said brightly. The way she pronounced the word made it sound more like "Looo siana".

"Horse breeders. We own a string of race horses that have yet to disappoint us. Ain't that right, darlin'?" The big man patted the hand of his wife and winked broadly at her, then he leaned over and placed a noisy kiss on her cheek.

"That's right, babe. You always are aren' you? See the pretty bauble that the last filly won for me?" Here the blonde extended her hand toward Tony and all but blinded him with a platinum ring set with a stunning marquis cut emerald of at least 3 carats, possibly larger.

"That's a gorgeous ring, Ma'am. Might I inquire as to the filly's name?" Tony feigned interest to keep the couple talking,

" Of course you can, young man. Her name is Sweet Southern Heat. I named her myself."

"What a thought provoking name," Tony commented as he made a show of flourishing his pen over his order pad.

Seeing the expectant look on Tony's face, the blonde giggled out loud. "Oh listen to me, rattling on about our horses, Royce. This fine young man is waiting for our orders and I'm rattling. We'll have to leave him an extra big tip for putting up with us won't we babe?"

"If'n you say so, darling. Half the ranch and all that too if necessary."

"It's no problem folks. No problem at all," Tony interjected smoothly. "I enjoy getting to know my customers. Makes them seem more like friends than just a face that I'll never see again. But if you'd like now, I'll take your drink order first, and then let you have time to look over the menu for this evening. The grilled mahi mahi is excellent if I might offer a suggestion." Tony was all graciousness.

"Well now, I think I'll have a glass of bourbon to start with. Maker's Mark if you have it." The big man boomed out his order and Tony chuckled silently.

_This is going to be too easy,_ he thought.

"And for you Ma'am?" He asked kindly.

"I'll just have a glass of champagne."

"Very good. I'll have those drinks right out to you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Horatio fidgeted in the patrol car, listening to the conversation being carried out inside the Royal Palms Garden Restaurant. He was not anxious over the ability of the two participants to conduct an undercover operation. Calleigh and Frank were consummate professionals. That was not the nagging concern in Horatio's heart. He was worried about the very real possibility of Frank letting himself fall completely into the role and becoming unable to separate reality from fantasy. He'd seen the big man's eyes light up with more than professional interest at the mention of working undercover with Calleigh. He'd seen too the look of adoration on Frank's face when Calleigh had walked into the room decked out like a rodeo queen. Jealousy stirred slightly in Horatio's chest and he grimly battered it down. He knew Frank was the better man for this job. The western look fitted the big Texan far better than it ever would have fit him, and yet some basic instinct made Horatio long to be the one at Calleigh's side, playing the role of adoring husband and lover.

"Be careful my friends. Be careful." Horatio whispered even though the two people he was addressing were unable to hear a word.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_What a couple of idiots,_ Tony thought as his nimble fingers expertly arranged the requested drinks on the tray. _They will never know what hit them. _He lifted the tray from the bar and balanced it perfectly on his shoulder, then made his way back out to the dining room where the pretty blonde and her husband were waiting. _Like taking candy from a baby._

With a grand flourish Tony lowered the tray from his shoulder and smiled.

"Ladies first," he said, handing the tall champagne flute to the lovely blonde.

"Why thank, you young man. Such chivalry and courtesy," she smiled and took a sip of her drink.

"Just doing my job, Ma'am." Tony replied. "And for you, Sir. Maker's Mark as requested."

"Now there's a drink to put heart in you," the man replied, lifting his glass in a toast toward Tony.

A moment of awkward silence intruded and Tony made a show of fidgeting with his phone. When he didn't immediately leave, the big man looked at him in a puzzled manner.

"Was there something you needed, young man?"

"Ah, well…since you're from out of town, you probably weren't aware of our drinks policy. You see we charge the drinks on a separate bill. Helps out with business travelers, since some companies will pay for the meal but not for the alcoholic drinks."

"Well, now why didn't you just say so? Here," the man dug a fat wallet from his pocket and opened it, revealing a thick wad of cash tucked inside and a sheaf of credit cards as well. "Use this card."

"Thank you, Sir and I'm sorry for the awkwardness. I should have told you up front about our policy."

"Not a problem, young man."

"Thank you, Sir. I'll just be a moment."

Tony pulled his phone from his apron pocket and attached the card reader to the portal. Quickly he slid the credit card through the slot and looked at the screen expectantly. He made an obvious show of touching the screen a couple of times.

"Ah Sir… I'm really sorry about this, but is there another card you could use? This one seems to be not working for some reason. The system isn't recognizing this as a valid card."

"What do you mean, not a valid card? Royce did you forget to pay the bill, babe?"

"No, darlin' I didn't forget. Heck I haven't used that card in a long time, maybe that's the problem. Here, young man. Try this one."

Tony watched with glee as the big man withdrew another card from his wallet and handed it over without so much as a blink. Again he went through the motions of sliding the card through the reader and then did it again. Unknown to his out of town customers, the card reader was actually working fine and each time Tony slid the card through, he was siphoning off money to a separate account that had nothing to do with the restaurant account. He was so gracious and believably apologetic each time there were "difficulties" with the transactions that very few customers even paused when they pulled out another card for him to try. In the course of an evening he could amass hundreds of dollars if not thousands with the simple but very effective scam he had developed.

It was always with his attempts to use the second card his victims offered that his acting skills came into play.

"Mr. Flanders, ah…um… I'm so sorry, but it seems this card is not valid either." Tony's voice oozed sincerity.

"Not valid?!" Here Frank let his voice rise slightly above normal and Calleigh did a fantastic job of cringing in her seat away from his harsh tone.

"Now Royce, just calm down, babe. There has to be some explanation." Her efforts at placating her flustered husband went unappreciated.

"There damned well better be an explanation." Royce Flanders brought a fist down on the table with a resounding thud. "That card is valid or I'll know why it's not!"

Tony experienced a moment's alarm when he saw how visibly angry the big man was growing.

"Please, Sir. Let me try one more thing. Maybe it's the card reader, and not your cards. We've had some trouble with the newer ones recently."

"Well try it, then and hustle up about it. Damned confusing high tech gadget anyway." Frank muttered loudly for effect, and Calleigh had to bite the inside of her jaw to keep from laughing aloud. Frank was certainly throwing himself into the role with great enthusiasm.

During the exchange with Frank, Tony had unobtrusively dropped his hand to his apron pocket where he exchanged his personal phone for the actual company phone that he was supposed to be using when charging customers for their drinks. With no one the wiser, he managed to remove the card reader from his phone, placing it in the company phone instead. He removed the card reader from the phone, inspected it closely and reinserted it into the portal of the phone. This time when he ran the card through the card reader, it responded as expected and accepted the charge on Frank's card.

"That's better," he sighed with feigned relief. "It was just the card reader, Sir, not your credit card. I'm so sorry. Please accept a second round of drinks on the house."

"Well now, that's mighty nice of you, young man. Mighty nice. Marilyn do you want another drink, darlin?" Frank reached over, covered Calleigh's hand with his, and looked soulfully into her sparkling green eyes.

"I'd love that, Royce," She murmured demurely, returning Frank's gaze with a romantic look of her own.

"Nothing to good for my darlin'," Frank said.

And then in a heartbeat, everything changed.

With no warning, Frank leaned over toward Calleigh, grasped her chin carefully with his fingers and captured her lips in an intense kiss. Calleigh was caught completely off guard and only barely managed to smother her gasp of shock. When the kiss ended she was breathless, and Frank looked as though he'd been hit upside the head with a two-by-four.

It took all Calleigh's ability to stay in role after being blindsided so completely. "Babe, that was totally unexpected. You don't usually act like that in public. Not that I'm really complaining," she hastened to add in the interest of keeping their cover intact.

"Darlin, I've been achin' to do that ever since we got here." Frank said in a husky voice.

Something in his tone told Calleigh that Frank was NOT talking about their cover roles.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_I've been aching to do that… I've been aching to do that…I've been aching to do that…_

Horatio cringed as the words rang over and over in his mind, accompanied by a torturous mental picture of Frank and Calleigh locked in a passionate kiss. He balled his hands into tightly clenched fists and shook his head as though to dispel the disturbing image painted by his imagination.

"Damn it, Frank," he cursed softly, not intending the words for anyone else. "You're too close. Too damned close."

"You okay, H?"

Horatio's head whipped round like a shot and he stared at Eric who occupied the driver's seat of the unmarked patrol car.

"Ah…never mind. You're not. So tell me, what's eating you?" Eric's brown eyes searched the troubled blue ones of Lieutenant Caine and did not like what he saw there.

"Eric…" Horatio's growl would have been menacing had Eric not known him so well.

"Horatio…"Eric countered. "You have been a bundle of nerves ever since Frank and Cal walked into that restaurant. Jumpy, agitated, edgy. Why the angst? Those two are perfect for this operation, you know that."

"Yes, damn it, I know that!" The heat in Horatio's voice startled the big Cuban and he took a closer look at his erstwhile brother-in-law.

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is…" Horatio stopped and sighed.

"Yes? The problem is?" Eric prodded gently when Horatio stopped speaking.

"That kiss."

"That kiss?" Eric repeated in a puzzled tone. "They're undercover as a married couple, why should that kiss bother you? A kiss is just a kiss…"

"Unless it's something else," Horatio snarled.

"Aha…Calleigh…" Eric shook his head as understanding set in. "Damn, H. Does she know?"

"I'd like to think I've hidden it better than that, Eric."

"Why haven't you told her?"

"Look at me, Eric. I'm an old man. She's young and gorgeous and…"

"And you're torturing yourself, brother," Eric interrupted softly.

"Yes, well, I've become very good at that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX

By the time "Royce and Marylin Flanders" finished their dinner of grilled mahi mahi, Calleigh had regained much of her composure and was relatively calm compared to the moments just after that kiss. Her hands no longer trembled and her heart had slowed it's breakneck pace. To say that Frank's caress was unexpected would have been a lie. They were after all, undercover as a happily married couple. To say that she had not enjoyed it…that was what had so unsettled her. Somehow that kiss did not feel like an "undercover" kiss. It felt very, very real, and even more surprising than that, Calleigh had to admit, it had felt very right as well.

"So how was your dinner, darlin'?" Frank drawled as Calleigh placed her fork on the table beside her now empty plate.

"It was delicious, Royce. We'll have to come here again." Calleigh stayed in role even though the look in Frank's eyes sent heat coursing through her veins all over again.

"You can count on it," Frank answered with a smile.

Before the moment could become any more nerve-wracking, Tony reappeared at their table, asking if there was anything else they needed.

"I believe that will be all for this evening, young man," Frank answered with a jovial laugh.

"Very good, Sir. Here is your ticket, and I'll be your cashier."

"Are you sure that contraption on your phone is working okay now?" Frank groused as he once again reached into his back pocket for his wallet.

"I'm sure, Sir. And again, please accept my apologies for the inconvenience. There was no charge for the last round of drinks and my manager deducted the price of your desserts as well."

"Well, now that was mighty neighborly of him, young man. Mighty neighborly." As he spoke, Frank pulled out yet a third credit card and placed it on the small tray with the ticket for their meal. "Now you be sure to put yourself a good tip on that bill, young man. You've been very helpful to us this evening."

"But Sir," Tony spoke in honest protest.

"No, I mean it. At least 20 percent of the total. I insist." Frank let his voice climb to the level that those around him could easily hear him.

"Very well, Sir. And thank you. I'll be right back."

As Tony disappeared toward the cash register to total the amount of the bill, Frank quickly keyed the hidden mic in his lapel button that allowed him two way communication back to the radio car parked two blocks away; the radio car occupied by Eric and one very anxious Lieutenant Horatio Caine.

"Did you get all of that, 'ratio?" Frank spoke under his breath, knowing the sensitive mic would make it sound as though he were seated next to his friend.

"_Yes, Frank. We got it… _**_ALL_**_ of it… You need to be careful, Frank. I think you're…"_

Even through the tiny ear bud in his ear, Frank could hear plainly the unease in his friend's voice. Something was bothering the Lieutenant, but Frank had no time to wonder about the cause. From the corner of his eye he saw the waiter approaching and quickly killed the incoming signal from Horatio.

"Here you are, Sir. Your receipt and the card back."

"Thank you, young man. Did you do what I told you to do?" Frank asked as he stood from his chair and motioned for Calleigh to join him.

"Yes, Sir. Thank you again."

"Then Marilyn and I will wish you a good evening. We will be back again tomorrow evening and we will want you to serve us."

"I'll look for you, Sir. Have a pleasant evening." Tony smiled and almost regretted having stolen so much money from the big man. With three swipes of those credit cards, almost $5,000 had been electronically routed to his account, and no one was the wiser for it but himself. Not only had money been stolen, but the account number, name and personal information had been lifted from the card by a malware program designed to capture electronic information.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Horatio's eyes focused like lasers on the front door of the restaurant, watching for Frank and Calleigh to emerge. When they did, he felt as though his heart would explode from his chest.

There in front of the Royal Palms Garden restaurant, in full view of passers by and patrons alike, Frank drew an unresisting Calleigh into his arms and kissed her soundly.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

When Frank's lips closed over hers, Calleigh sighed softly and relaxed against his hard warm chest. It felt so right and so secure to be held close by this man. She had never before even considered Frank as any possible type of romantic interest, but now she wondered why. He was a man of unquestionable integrity. He had a sterling work ethic. He was a southern born and bred gentleman. And she was fast discovering he was damned good at kissing. His mouth moved over hers with confidence, masterfully parting her lips without making the contact feel like an invasion.

The kiss might have progressed beyond the point of public decency had it not been for the fact that Frank knew they were completely visible and he wanted to spare Calleigh any embarassment.

"Darlin'," Frank's voice was husky when he finally tore his mouth from Calleigh's, "…I think we probably ought to go back to our room before we get busted for an indecent public display of affection." His eyes searched hers, looking for any sign that she felt discomfort with his touch.

"You think, babe?" Calleigh's voice had a lilt to it, and it hit the big man's system like a narcotic.

"Calleigh…" he warned almost roughly. "Don't tease me like that. We may be undercover, but this is very real to me."

Calleigh sucked in a breath at that statement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At Horatio's insistence and against his own better judgement, Eric had moved the unmarked patrol car from its original position, and it now sat across the street from the Royal Palms Garden Restaurant, less than half a block away from the entrance

Inside the radio car, Horatio let loose a string of curses as he watched Calleigh willingly return Frank's embrace.

"Damn it, Frank! What the hell do you plan to do, make love to her in plain sight?! Damn it, damn it, damn it."

"Easy, H." Eric said, anxious for his friend's state of mind. In all the years he had worked with Horatio, he had never seen the Lieutenant this agitated over anything.

Ignoring Eric's attempt to calm him, Horatio grabbed the car door handle and jerked it roughly, shoving open the door with violent force. With every intention of confronting Frank over his amorous actions toward Calleigh, Horatio left the car and would have charged after the big Texan had a hand not clamped firmly over his arm and pulled him backward. Enraged, Horatio spun around to discover that it was Eric who had halted his forward motion. The big Cuban looked at him with a mixture of compassion and disappointment.

"Horatio…" He said quietly.

"Eric," Horatio ground out between clenched teeth, "…you have exactly one heartbeat to let go of my arm before I…"

"Before what, Horatio?" Eric asked. "What are you going to do, go confront them and blow their cover? That's really a good idea. Think, man. Think. They are professionals doing a job. If you can't handle all the possibilities that includes, you might better remove yourself from this case."

"Errriiiiiic…" Horatio's voice sounded more like a vicious growl than anything remotely human.

"Argue all you want, Horatio. You know I'm right. Even if it takes you being mad enough to fire me, I won't let you compromise their saftey just because it upsets you to see them in such an intimate undercover role. I respect you too much to let you do that to them or to yourself. Now calm down and get back in the car."

For a split second, Eric thought his boss and former brother in law might actually strike him, but then he saw the faint glimmer of reason in the depths of the turbulent blue eyes.

Without a word, Horatio jerked his arm from Eric's lax hold. He stared for a moment longer at his young companion and then strode angrily back to the car, jerked the passenger door open and settled into the seat, slamming the door closed behind him.

Eric blew out a relieved breath, and realized that he had broken out in a cold sweat from head to toe. He'd heard stories of the fiery fury of Lieutenant Horatio Caine many times before and had seen it on occasion directed at a suspect, but he had never before felt the full impact of that anger personally. It was an experience he hoped never to repeat.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Standing in the hallway, outside their hotel room on the 15th floor of the Miami Shores Resort and Hotel, Calleigh experienced the first blush of doubt; doubt that she could carry off this assignment as easily as she had first thought she could; doubt that what she had felt a mere half hour before was more than just "on the job" nerves and excitement. In less than 12 hours she had found herself far more immersed in her undercover role than she would have dreamed possible. Faced with the prospect of a night alone with Frank in a hotel suite, away from the rest of the team and with only audio surveillance, she wasn't sure she could conduct herself in a professional manner. Frank's kiss had changed the entire game, and she wasn't at all sure she could still play by the rules Horatio had given them.

Frank's voice startled her out of her reverie.

"Here we are," he said, as he drew the key card through the lock and opened the door to their suite of rooms. "Concierge already brought our things up earlier."

Calleigh nodded wordlessly and stepped inside ahead of Frank. She cast a nervous glance toward the king sized bed and then forced herself to turn and look back at her partner over her shoulder. "I think I'll shower first and then hit the sack early, Frank. I'm pretty tired." Three anxious steps were all she managed toward the bathroom before Frank's voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Calleigh…, Calleigh don't run from me, not now after I've tasted your sweet kisses. Please."

She turned to face him and realized that it was her undoing. His face held such an expression of desperate longing and desire that she almost wept. Response blazed through her, almost buckling her knees. "Oh, Frank…what have…what have we done?"

In two quick strides, the big man stood before her and grasped her by the shoulders, looking down into her eyes as though his very soul depended on it. "Calleigh we haven't done half of what I've dreamed of doing."

TBC

A/N Okay, I realize some of you are ready to tar and feather me for pairing Cal and Frank. I promise on pain of death that I am not abandoning the H/Cal ship. I'm merely exploring all the possibilities that were never even acknowledge when the show was on the air.

Lt. Caine


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**A/N First, I will apologize up front for what I consider a less than best effort to this point. I went back and found several inconsistencies that I should have corrected before posting the succeeding chapters. That comes from distracted writing. From here on out those inconsistencies will be corrected in the story. **

**Second, for those of you who are uncomfortable with the thought of Frank and Calleigh being intimate, DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER. I have held Athena to a strong T rating, but it's readily apparent what goes on. **

At Frank's softly spoken but passionate statement, Calleigh placed trembling hands against his chest in one last futile effort at resisting her own growing response to him.

"Calleigh…" Frank whispered her name again, his heart in his eyes, and her slight hesitation faded to nothing.

Frank drew Calleigh closer and lowered his head toward hers. Her eyes fluttered closed and she moaned quietly just before their lips met. Gently he kissed her, coaxing a sweet response from her and when at last his lips finally left hers, she protested until Frank's warm mouth began trailing kisses along her jawline and down along the side of her neck. Calleigh tilted her head to the side to give him easier access and Frank took full advantage of her offering.

"Frank," she whispered in a breathless tone, "Frank this feels so…so…"

"It feels so right…" Frank murmured against her soft skin as he began nipping lightly with his teeth. Unerringly he found all the right places that would give Calleigh the most pleasure and lavished kiss after kiss over the sensitive skin. Following the path of his lips, Frank's hands, large and calloused with hard work, stroked tenderly over whatever exposed skin he could reach, moving in light delicate caresses, along her neck and throat and down to the narrow vee of her open collar.

Arousal flared hot and swift through Calleigh's veins as Frank's ardor increased and she arched her body closer to the big man almost without conscious direction from her mind. Of their own accord, her hands drifted upward and began tugging at the pearl snaps of his shirt, quickly baring his skin to her questing fingers. She slid her palms over the hard flat planes of his chest, reveling in the contact with his heated flesh.

The touch of Calleigh's tiny hands on his naked skin ripped a groan from Frank's throat and he quickly captured her wrists in his grasp momentarily halting the sweet torture of her touch.

"Calleigh, darlin'" he choked out, "I need you so much. Please let me make love to you."

As he spoke, Frank's hands became busy with the tail of her shirt, tugging impatiently at the stiff material until it finally worked free of the waistband of her jeans. Quickly then he undid the snaps of the shirt, opening it with an expression of near reverence at the beauty he had revealed. For a moment he was dumbstruck, and then he managed a ragged breath.

"God, you are so very beautiful, Calleigh. So very beautiful."

Calleigh swayed toward Frank, drawn by the heat in his eyes and the heat of her own desire.

"Frank…I…I need…" whatever else she was going to say lodged deep in her throat when Frank's hand slid in a warm caress up over her ribs to cup her breast.

Roughly then, as though that single touch had breached an unspoken boundary, Frank caught Calleigh's lips in a scorching kiss, scooped her up into his arms, and carried her to the bed. With minimal motion and eager haste, he finished removing her jeans, shirt and underclothes as well as his own, tossing them all in a thoughtless heap on the floor. Tenderly he laid Calleigh on the bed and followed her down with his body.

In the heat of their newly discovered passion, neither one of them realized that Frank had forgotten to turn off the button mic in the second pearl snap of his shirt.

_The audio feed to HQ was still live._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at MDPD headquarters, Horatio paced the floor of his office like a caged lion, restless and angry, his mind tormenting him with imagined scenes of his friend and his ballistics expert in all sorts of compromising situations. Finally, he gave an angry snort and jerked open the door, intending to head for the break room and a stout cup of scalding hot coffee. Before he even had a chance to take a step in that direction, his phone rang and he jerked it from the clip on his belt.

"Horatio Caine," he barked in answer.

"_Lieutenant Caine, there's something a bit odd going on with the audio feed from Detective Tripp and Officer Duquesne. I think you might need to see this."_

"I'm on my way."

Had anyone been closely observing, they would have noticed the leashed fury that accompanied Horatio's stride. He was upset and in no mood to tolerate any funny business when it came to an undercover operation. If there was something amiss with the audio feed, he intended to see that it was corrected.

The moment he strode through the door of the tech lab, the look on Conner's face told him he would not like whatever was going on. Conner sat looking at the headphones like he had seen a ghost and Horatio had to call his name twice before he slowly turned his head in response to the hail.

"What's the problem, Conner?" Horatio demanded angrily.

"Ah, Lieutenant, it seems there…isn't…a problem…so to speak...but..." Here Conner stopped, his mouth opening and closing in a comic imitation of a fish out of water.

"But what?!" snarled Horatio, his anger increasing by the second.

"Sir…I don't think they…I don't think they know the feed is still live…" Conner stammered out, his face turning beet red.

"Oh my god…" Horatio breathed.

Hands trembling with dread, he reached out and took the headphones from Conner's grasp and lifted them to his head…

"_Frank…Frank…so close… so very close…ah…ahhh…" _

"_That's it, Darlin', come for me. Let me see you come…"_

"_Frank…oh god…yes…"_

Horatio stood as though frozen in place, his heart hammering in his chest and his ears desperately refusing to assimilate what he had just heard. His face drained of color and breath lodged in his lungs until Conner's voice broke through his frozen immobility.

"I can mute the feed from here, Sir." he said quietly, noting the striken look on the face of the Lieutenant.

"Do it." Horatio snapped when he could finally speak again. "And no one knows about this, Conner. Absolutely no one. Am I crystal clear on that?"

"Yes, Sir. No one will know, Sir."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Hours passed as Horatio drove through the darkened streets of Miami, prowling the back passageways and alleys, seeking to put his turbulent emotions to rest with no success. The memory of Calleigh's voice, strained and breathless with pleasure at the hands of another man haunted him. More painful than that was the knowledge that he had only himself to blame for apparently losing the woman he had loved for so long. As though that burden alone weren't enough, he found himself wrestling too, with an intense anger toward the man who was until this point, his best friend.

"Damn it, Caine," he muttered aloud, pounding one hand on the steering wheel of the Hummer. "Why didn't you do something before now?"

Silence answered his angry query which only served to anger him further. He had no idea which direction to turn, which way to go, or how to work his way through this situation. And so he drove, long into the night until the faint blush of a new day began creeping over the edges of the horizon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sunlight flickered through the blinds of the room and teased first one sleepy green eye open and then another. Full awareness was slow in claiming Calleigh's mind and for several moments she simply lay still, basking in the feeling of waking up completely refreshed and relaxed. Idly she pondered the sensation until a slight movement from the man sleeping beside her sent reality crashing through her with the impact of a runaway Hummer. She and Frank had…

Memories from the night before flashed across her vision and in the cold light of day, Calleigh almost cringed. The implications of what she had done set her heart racing.

Never before had she ever lost her head in such a way. Never before had she been in such a compromising position. And never before had she felt such confusion.

Before she had time to regroup and gather her wits, a warm hand slid intimately across her stomach. Frank raised up on one elbow and looked down at her, a smile on his face.

"Good morning, Calleigh," he drawled and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

Almost without thinking, Calleigh responded, her lips clinging to his in open response. Encouraged, Frank settled more firmly against Calleigh's body and continued his sensual morning greeting. He kissed his way over her shoulders and up along her neck, nuzzling against her warm skin until he made his way back to her lips and captured them again in another breathtaking kiss. Hearing Calleigh's involuntary sighs of pleasure, Frank continued sweetly destroying her ability to think straight. The dizzying slide into sensual oblivion acted as a warning to Calleigh's befuddled brain, and she desperately pressed her hands flat against Frank's warm, hard chest, pushing at him in a frantic attempt to slow down the moment.

Had Frank Tripp been anything less than a gentleman, he would have pressed his advantage and swept aside Calleigh's tentative protest with a barrage of passionate kisses. Instead, he slowly pulled back and looked down into her flushed face. Seeing the naked confusion in her emerald green eyes he questioned softly, "Calleigh?"

"Frank…I…Oh god Frank..." at the growing look of apprehension on Frank's face, Calleigh turned her head away from him and squeezed her eyes shut. But she knew he deserved better than that, so she turned back to face him, biting her bottom lip nervously before she continued.

"Frank, ...Frank, I've never been in this kind of situation before. Never let myself act so irrationally. I've never so completely lost sight of the objective in an undercover operation."

For a moment, Frank considered her words and then smiled at her. "Neither have I, Darlin" the husky tone of Frank's words sent heat sizzling through Calleigh's body and she fought to remain clear headed enough to reason with the big man. One of them had to think clearly and it certainly wasn't Frank at the moment. It had to be her.

"Frank, I don't know what happened to me last night…I …"

Immediately Calleigh knew she'd wounded the big man to the heart, and she regretted ever saying the words. A cold stillness came over him and his eyes clouded with pain that he just couldn't hide.

"Does that mean you regret last night, Calleigh?"

"Oh, Frank. The very last thing in the world I would do willingly is hurt you. But I think we both know that things moved at light speed last night. Neither of us was thinking very clearly."

"I don't think clearly when it comes to you, Cal," Frank muttered tersely as he rolled away from Calleigh and sat up on the side of the bed. He rubbed at one naked shoulder and then turned to look at Calleigh who was by now sitting up in the bed. "You can have the shower first. I have to check in with 'ratio and the team before we head out for the day."

And just like that, Frank closed the topic of their relationship, leaving Calleigh to wonder if the incident would or could ever be straightened out.

"Frank, please...I'm sorry… I just need time to think." Calleigh pleaded with him, begging him with her eyes to understand that her hesitance wasn't outright rejection.

For a moment Frank looked at her with a sad expression and then he smiled ruefully. "I've had years to think about you, Calleigh. My heart is already sure. But if you need time…"

Calleigh fled to the bathroom before she could give in to the urge to kiss away the hurt she saw on Frank's face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Upon reaching the bottom of his 8th cup of coffee, Horatio finally mustered up the courage to enter the hotel where Frank and Calleigh were staying and make his way up to their floor. He cursed the tremble of his hand as he raised it to knock on the door.

Frank greeted him with a smile and an easy manner, and why shouldn't he have? He'd had the woman of a lifetime in his arms the night before. A million harsh, cutting comments screamed to be released, but Horatio valiantly held them in check, biting the inside of his cheek until he tasted the metallic tang of blood. When he did finally speak, his tone was ice cold and measured.

"Francis, we need to talk."

Immediately Frank was on the defensive. Horatio only called him by his given name when there was a problem.

"What's the problem, 'ratio?" He asked cautiously.

"The problem is…" Horatio ground out between clenched teeth, "…the problem is, you forgot to turn off the lapel mic last night after you and Calleigh left the restaurant.

Blood froze in Frank's veins and his stomach churned violently as he realized what Horatio was implying. "My god, man. How much…" the words stuck in his mouth and he struggled to force them past his lips. "How much did…"

"How much did I hear?!" Horatio interrupted harshly. "I heard Calleigh when she…"

"Damn it all to hell!" Frank sputtered. His face was a brilliant crimson as the full import of what had transpired registered with him.

TBC

**OKAY, OKAY…I'm attempting to soothe the wounded feelings of those who are aghast at my choosing to let Frank and Cal have a night of passion together. Who knows what will transpire before this story is finished. Stay with me, dear readers. Stay with me.**

**Lt. Caine**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Tony yawned and stretched at the obnoxious clamor of the alarm clock. He had slept late and deservedly so after his long evening at the Royal Palms the night before. A smirk marred his otherwise handsome face at that thought. He had made quite a profit off that idiot couple from Louisiana. What a couple of fools they were. Yet even in the midst of his gloating about the take, he was wary. There was just something about those two that was jarring. They were too…too lovey and clingy, almost as though they were merely acting the part of adoring husband and wife. During his years of crime, Tony had developed an internal "early warning" system so to speak when it came to avoiding detection, and the couple from Louisiana had set the alarms to sounding. It would do him well to be on his guard if he ever saw them again. A moment longer he toyed with the sense of unease and then shrugged it off. He was too good to be tripped up by a balding Louisiana horsebreeder and his gorgeous trophy wife.

A brisk shower and several cups of coffee later, Tony was ready to start the day at the Surf and Shore Bar on the beach. His daytime job was not quite as profitable as his gig at the Royal Palms but he still made a tidy little take from the unsuspecting trourists who frequented the establishment. Taking one last look at his reflection in the mirror, Tony left the condo and headed for work.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Horatio snarled at Frank's bitter outburst. "What the hell were you two thinking?!" he hissed.

At that statement, Frank's nostrils flared in fury. "Now just one damned minute, Horatio. You leave Calleigh out of this discussion."

"Leave her out?! It takes two to tango, Frank. Calleigh is just as…"

Unnoticed by either man, Calleigh had slipped from the bathroom upon hearing the sounds of angry voices in the sleeping area and had heard every heated word that had flown between the two friends.

"…Just as what, Horatio?" Calleigh asked quietly, interrupting the angry conversation.

Both Frank and Horatio spun around at the sound of Calleigh's voice and she would have been inclined to laugh at the expressions on their faces had the situation not been so terribly complicated and embarrassing.

"Calleigh…"

"Darlin…"

Both men spoke at once and Calleigh sighed.

"Both of you just need to calm down. Have you both forgotten what we are here for?"

Angry blue sparks flashed in Horatio's eyes. "Apparently you have, Calleigh," he snarled. "I trained you better than this!"

Green fire snapped in Calleigh's eyes and she refused to back down in the face of Horatio's displeasure.

"Trained me better than what, Horatio?! Better than to feel? Better than to be human? Better than to allow myself the pleasure of a man's touch? You trained me better than what?!"

"Damn it, Calleigh, you know what I mean." Horatio snapped.

"No, I don't. Why don't you tell me what you mean," Calleigh retorted.

"If I have to explain it to you, then you aren't the CSI I thought you were," Horatio growled.

"Humor me," Calleigh said bitterly.

During this fiery exchange between Horatio and Calleigh, Frank had covertly observed the flow of emotion across both their faces and suddenly the meaning behind Horatio's sharp words became painfully clear to him. Horatio was in love with Calleigh too, and that presented a world of problems for both men. The complexity of the situation was compounded by the fact that Calleigh had allowed the undercover operation to become intimate. The crowning misfortune, Frank realized, was his own mistake in leaving the lapel mic on, and Horatio hearing the undeniable proof of the night of passion he and Calleigh had shared. _Poor Calleigh,_ he thought, _caught in the middle of a wicked situation. _

"I find very little humor in this situation, Calleigh."

"Neither do I," she sighed, looking at the implaccable expressions on the faces of both men. "Okay, we all need to take a deep breath, step back from this cliff and finish the job we came to do. When this case is over we can deal with other issues."

"Can you do that, Calleigh?" Horatio challenged her. "Can you finish the job in a professional manner?"

"Don't you really mean can I finish it without any more 'indiscretions'?"

"Your words, not mine."

"Horatio," Frank's voice interrupted, "I think Calleigh is right. We finish the job you gave us and then we can settle this afterwards."

"You'd like that wouldn't you, Frank? You get to keep playing the role and hope it becomes real, hope it ends up with you in bed with her again..." Horatio was so embroiled in his own anger he did not fully comprehend the implications of his words. Not only had he accused Frank, but he had also besmirched Calleigh's good name as well.

A roar of rage erupted from Frank's mouth at that comment and he charged at Horatio, catching him full around the throat with both hands, intending to silence the vile accusations.

"Damn you, Horatio Caine!" Frank shouted angrily

"Frank! Let him go NOW!" Calleigh ordered, her voice harsh and commanding. She sprang toward them, tugging desperately at Frank's hands, trying to tear them away from Horatio's throat.

"I won't let him talk that way about you," Frank growled, his hands still grasping Horatio's neck in a death grip.

Horatio struggled against Frank's choke hold and finally succeeded in tearing himself loose from his friend's grasp.

Both men stood there panting, disheveled from the scuffle and glaring daggers at each other.

Forty plus years of friendship and camaraderie hung precariously in the balance, and Calleigh was the pivot point between a peaceful outcome and total catastrophy.

TBC

A/N Yes I realize there is a horrible pun at the end of the first paragraph, but I assure you it was totally unintentional. I left it there just to help lighten what is rapidly becoming a drama instead of a comedy. Sigh. Sometimes Athena is incorrigible about these things.

Lt. Caine.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Beseiged in turn by anger, hurt, frustration and love, Calleigh drew herself up to her full height and glared furiously at both Horatio and Frank.

"You two are pathetic," she cried, tears by now streaming down her face. "I can't believe two grown men are acting the way you are."

Instantly those two grown men would have gladly thrown themselves in front of a speeding bus if it would have eased the pain radiating from Calleigh's eyes.

"Calleigh, please…I never meant for you to…" Horatio began, only to be cut off by an impassioned plea from Frank.

"Cal, you know I'd never hurt you. Let me show you that…"

"ENOUGH!" Calleigh yelled. "Enough! I don't want to be anywhere near either one of you today. Both of you leave. I can handle this on my own."

"Like hell you'll work alone," Horatio sputtered.

"I'll be damned if I let you walk out of this room by yourself, Cal." Frank echoed Horatio's sentiment.

"And I'll be damned if I let you come with me Frank Tripp." Calleigh snapped.

The conversation would have raged on, but Calleigh ended it abruptly by spinning on her heel and storming back to the bedroom area of the suite. She slammed the door closed behind her and the distinctive sound of tumblers falling into locked position let both Horatio and Frank know she was quite serious about not wanting to deal with either of them.

Horatio fixed Frank with an icy blue stare and muttered, "To be continued, Frank." Then he stormed toward the exit, jerking the door open and disappearing into the hall.

In the silence that descended, Frank counted every hearbeat up to 100 and then cautiously approached the bedroom door. Gingerly he knocked, calling out softly, "Calleigh…Darlin…can we talk?"

_Go away, Frank._

The door muffled Calleigh's voice but not enough to hide the fact that she was crying, and Frank mentally berated himself again for the one enormous mistake that had caused so much pain for everyone involved.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eric was startled when Horatio slammed through the door of the trace lab where he was working.

"I'd say 'good morning', H, but something tells me that it's not. What's up?" Eric asked, half expecting a stinging retort. What he absolutely did not expect was the stunning sight of tears swimming in the blue eyes of one very distraught Lieutenant Horatio Caine.

"Damn. What's wrong?" Concern spiked through Eric and he stepped toward his former brother in law, casting a wary eye toward the windows to make sure no one else was witness to Horatio's obvious misery.

"Calleigh."

One word was all Horatio said, yet it rang all sorts of warning bells for Eric.

"Okay, Calleigh. That's not much to go on. I'm guessing this has something to do with that kiss. Wanna tell me about it?" Eric encouraged cautiously.

The muscles of Horatio's jaw clenched visibly before he spoke. "She slept with Frank."

"Ah… whew...and you know this because…"

"Because I heard them, damn it! Frank forgot to turn off the lapel mic after they left the restaurant and Conner called me to the tech lab to tell me the feed was still live. Oh god, Eric…" Horatio groaned, "I heard her call out his name as she climaxed…"

Eric blew out a long breath and shook his head sympathetically before answering. "That was brutal, H. I'm sorry," Eric said. "You really love her, don't you?"

The look in Horatio's eyes when he answered would have been confirmation enough even without words.

"I've loved her for so long, Eric...and now this."

Eric placed a comforting hand on Horatio's shoulder and squeezed gently. "Don't give up so easily, H. Remember what you've always taught us? Never assume anything. This could all still work out in your favor."

"I don't see how, Eric," Horatio answered dejectedly.

"Give it time, H. Give it time."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

For an hour more, Frank attempted to coax Calleigh from the bedroom with no success. Finally, he sighed, realizing that it would have been easier t turn water into wine, and he knocked on the door one last time.

"Calleigh, I'm going downstairs to the restaurant for breakfast. I'll wait a bit for you before I order."

_No need to wait on me, Frank. I'm going to the donut shop across the street. _

"I really hate for you to be alone."

_I'd rather be alone, if you don't mind._

"Cal, I'm so sorry all this happened."

_So, am I Frank, for lots of reasons. Just go on. I'll call you around noon and we can meet at the Surf and Shore for drinks as Royce and Marilyn. We do still have a case to work on, you know._

"Okay, if you're sure."

_I'm sure, Frank. Just go…please._

With a heavy heart, Frank walked back to the bathroom of the suite, showered, shaved and dressed for the day. Then he grabbed his hat, placed it on his head and left the room.

A/N I don't generally like posting such a short chapter, but this one felt complete as is. Fair warning, Athena has a wicked suprise in store for all involved. Some of you will cheer, and some will be ready to hang me.

Lt. Caine


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Several sets of male eyes glanced apreciatively in Calleigh's direction as she entered the Miami Sunlight Donuts shop. She had dressed in a pair of western jeans that hugged her gorgeous curves in all the right places without making her look like a walking advertisement. Her soft, pink shirt lay open against her throat, giving an enticing hint of the shadowy cleft just barely concealed by the second pearl snap. Hidden by the flair of the jeans and the boots that encased her feet was her back up service revolver in an ankle holster. She had chosen to leave her hat in the room and her golden hair rippled in shimmering waves down her back.

The coffee and blueberry crème cheese Danish Calleigh ordered did little to restore calm to her swirling emotions and thoughts. For two hours she sat at the back corner table, pondering the situation she found herself embroiled in, but arriving at no workable sloution. A bitter smile curved her lips and she sighed quietly at the irony of the situation. How often as a little girl had she dreamed of two handsome princes fighting over her affections, each one proclaiming their undying love for her. Now that it was happening in real time, she felt nothing but confusion and pain. Of the attraction both Horatio and Frank felt toward her, Calleigh had no doubts. It was plain by their behavior in the hotel room that they both held deep feelings for her. The only true question in the equation lay with her own emotions.

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…" she murmured softly to herself, twisting at the fake wedding band Frank had placed on her hand several days before.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Frank finished his solitary breakfast, paid the bill and returned to the suite, hoping against hope that Calleigh had undergone a change of heart, and was waiting for him. Instead of Calleigh's sweet voice, silence greeted him when he pushed the door open and entered the suite.

"Francis Tripp, you sure created one helluva mess," he muttered angrily to no one in particular.

He stomped to the bathroom and set about shaving, only narrowly missing cutting his own throat more than once. Swift strokes of the razor cleared the stubble from his chin and Frank caught himself wishing with all his might that his current dilema could be swept clean as easily.

A glance at his watch told Frank that it was only a little past 10:00 in the morning. If Calleigh was true to her word, he wouldn't see or hear from her again until close to noon. That meant he had two very long hours to kill…two very long hours to think about the mess they were all in because of him. In retrospect he was surprised Calleigh had even considered continuing the case in their undercover roles as husband and wife. He could only imagine how mortified she was to discover that their intimate encounter had been heard by their Lieutenant. It was a testiment to her courage and tenacity that she was willing to keep working with him after that.

A self-depricating sigh teased from Frank's chest and he shook his head. The fact that Horatio and the tech had heard him and Calleigh was regrettable, but he did not for one microsecond regret the encounter in and of itself. Those precious moments in Calleigh's arms had been a dream come true for the big man. Ever since the first day he'd met Calleigh Duquesne, Frank Tripp had been a 'goner', and that was even before he and his first wife, Melissa, were divorced. To be sure he was drawn physically to Calleigh's smile, her golden hair, her southern drawl and that killer body, but equally certain was the fact that Frank had fallen in love with her beautiful personality and spirit. She was to Frank Tripp the embodiement of the word 'angel', and to say that he had seen heaven in her arms would have been an understatment of epic proportions. Fate had finally smiled on him and given him a chance to win her heart, and he had screwed it up in the worst way imaginable.

The longer he thought about it, the more certain Frank became of what he needed to do before there could be any hope of smoothing out this mess he had caused. Before he could change his mind on the course of action in front of him, he reached into the mini-fridge and pulled out one of the complimentary bottles of liquor. He twisted the top off the small bottle of Jack Daniels, raised it to his lips and drained it in one long drink. Thus fortified, he stood up, put his hat on and left the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Horatio sat at his desk, staring at the closed file in front of him. He couldn't focus, couldn't concentrate on anything except the past 24 hours. Over and over the scene replayed itself in his mind and he found himself wishing he could retract some of the more hurtful comments he'd made both to Calleigh and to his best friend. If he had it all to do over again, he knew he would simply choose to do nothing after learning of the intimacy between them. He also knew that in the same situation, he would have more than likely taken the same actions, would have gladly accepted the chance to share that kind of encounter with his ballistics expert.

A soft knock at the door interruped his reverie and Horatio called, "Come in," without even looking up to see who was there.

Had Gabriel himself walked in proclaiming the end of the world, Horatio couldn't have been more stunned at seeing his visitor.

Frank Tripp stepped into the office, closing and locking the door behind him. He sat down on the edge of the chair in front of Horatio's desk and looked at his friend. Finally after several moments of thick silence he spoke.

"Horatio…we need to talk, man to man."

TBC

A/N **In the interest of steering clear of the unpardonable sin of plagiarism, I will note that the line of poetry Calleigh quotes to herself after the second paragraph comes directly from the Robert Frost poem, "The Road Not Taken".**

**A/N II Shortly after I finished this chapter I received a phone call that upended my world. As a result I am taking a temporary hiatus from writing to deal with this issue. Please know that I will return when I can.**

**Lt. Caine**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Tony moved smoothly among the tables, taking and delivering drink and food orders to the day's customers. It was almost noon, time for the rush hour to begin in earnest. He had just finished setting a Vodka martini on the table for one of his regular customers when a flash of pink caught the edge of his vision. He turned to see what or who had moved into his range of sight and was instantly on alert when he saw the gorgeous blonde wife of the Louisiana horse breeder he'd met the night before at the Royal Palms Gardens. Furtively, he scanned the rest of the outdoor eating area but saw no sign of the husband. The wife must have come alone. Tony approached her table with a smile and a healthy extra measure of caution.

"Good morning, Ma'am," Tony said politely as he placed a menu on the table in front of Calleigh. "Marylin, isn't it?" His question was tentative and soft as though he were asking permission to utter it.

Calleigh's green eyes tagged Tony's and he knew immediately something was terribly wrong.

"Yes, it's Marylin. You remembered from last night. I'm…I'm impressed." The southern drawl of her voice was more pronounced than he recalled.

"Pardon my asking, but will you be dining alone today, or should I wait a few moments for your husband?" The subtly worded query produced immediate results.

Marylin Flanders caught her breath and visibly flinched before answering the perfectly logical question. "He'll be…He'll be here a little later."

"Would you like a drink while you wait for him?" Tony asked, trying to stall for time long enough to discover why the beautiful blond was so obviously upset.

"Yes…I'd like that."

"A glass of wine perhaps?"

"Yes. White, please. And do I pay in advance ?" Calleigh asked, remembering the incident from the Royal Palms restaurant.

Tony smiled as he shook his head 'no'. "No Ma'am. That practice is usually for the larger hotel restaurants who are trying to help business travelers avoid unpleasantries with their companies."

"I understand. Thank you,…" Calleigh craned her head slightly as though reading the silver name tag Tony wore. "…thank you, Tony. I'm not as good at remembering names as you are I guess. I had to look at your tag to remember it." Unobtrusively she managed to fidget with the button of her collar and snapped a high res photo with the hidden camera that Horatio had placed there.

"That's okay, Ma'am." Tony said with a smile. "I'll be right out with your wine."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Horatio…we need to talk, man to man._

Now the lid was off Pandora's Box and there was no going back for either Frank or Horatio.

"First," Frank said with a strange note in his voice as though he were learning to speak for the first time, "…first, I owe you an apology for choking you, Horatio. No excuses. I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry."

Horatio nodded his head before speaking. "And I… I said some pretty uncharitable things to you Frank, so the sentiment is simliar from where I sit. I'm sorry too."

"Well now that's out of the way, we can talk about the real issue here." Frank's eyes were flinty with his determination to see this thing to the bitter end regardless of the outcome.

"Calleigh," Horatio said.

"Calleigh," Frank agreed.

"So…where do we go from here?" Frank asked.

"Don't you think you should be asking her that, Frank?" Horatio huffed.

"Damn it, 'ratio. I come over here to try and sort out some of this mess, and you end up tying me in knots again."

"Go on, Frank. I'm listening." Horatio leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Ah, hell, Horatio. Might as well say it and get it out there. I love Calleigh, have for a long time, even before me and Melissa busted up." Here Frank's eyes took on a distant look and he paused and cleared his throat before continuing. "I'm not as good with words as you are, 'ratio, but I'd take it hard if anything was to happen to Cal. She's, she's just…" Frank struggled to put into words exactly what he was feeling at the moment.

After letting his friend squirm for several long seconds more, Horatio relented from his stony silence and interrupted quietly.

"I understand, Frank. I know what you're trying to say. The ironic thing about it is that I…I feel exactly the same. I love her too, Frank, with every molecule of my body, I love Calleigh Marie Duquesne."

Frank blew out a loud breath and looked at Horatio. "Looks like we got a problem then, don't we?"

"No worries, Frank. I won't cut in. It was painfully obvious to me from the live feed that you and she have already made a connection that I was never able to establish with her for whatever reason." Horatio's voice held a wistful tone.

Frank eyed his friend warily. "I almost think you really mean that, Horatio."

"I do, Frank. I do. But hear me." Horatio leaned forward then, and his gaze almost pierced through the big Texan with the intensity of emotion he was feeling. "You'd better treat her right. If I even suspect that you've hurt her in any way, there will be no escaping me. The hounds of hell will seem merciful by comparrison."

"You don't have to worry none about that, man. She's the best thing that's ever happened in this old boy's life. I'd die before I'd hurt her. " Frank's face bore a look of profound relief.

Little did Frank realize he had just uttered words that were to prove tragically prophetic.

TBC

A/N At my last posting I voiced my intent to take a short hiatus to deal with a pressing personal issue. The situation has evolved to the point that now I am simply awaiting the results of medical testing. Until that information arrives I can do nothing but wait and hope. In the interim, the continuation of this story is providing me with a sorely needed distraction. If the next few chapters seem disjointed, I sincerely apologize. Thank you to all who have expressed concern. It is appreciated far more than you could know.

Lt. Caine


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

A nagging sense of unease persisted in Tony's mind as he readied the glass of white wine the horse breeder's wife had ordered. Something was just off about the whole picture. The two of them were inseparable the night before, openly affectionate and loving, almost too affectionate; and now this morning the wife was alone and obviously distressed about something. She would, Tony decided, bear close watching. His hand went to the front pocket of his black uniform slacks and felt the comforting weight of the .38 he had placed there before leaving his condo for work that morning. During none of his criminal activities had he ever used the weapon, but he had on several occasions been glad to have it just as insurance.

During Tony's absence from the table, Calleigh pulled her cell from her pocket and after a heartbeat of hesitation, she dialed Frank's number and waited for him to answer. He picked up on the first ring.

_This is Tripp_

"Royce? I'm…I'm at the Surf and Shore Bar already."

_You know you were supposed to call me before you went so we could arrive together, Calleigh._

Tony arrived back at the table and stood a discreet distance away, observing the play of emotions across the blond's face. Again he was struck by the wrongness of the scene.

"Of course I'll order for you, babe. Do you want your usual Maker's Mark?" Calleigh's voice was falsely bright and chipper.

_Smooth, Cal. Sidestep the issue. Yes, I'll take "Royce's" usual, but you know we have to talk this out. I've…I've already talked to Horatio and cleared the air with him._

"Now babe," there was a definite tremble in the blond's voice at this point, "…we promised not to make lunch choices alone. Come on as quick as you can. I'll wait for you to order."

_I'm on my way, Cal. _

The line went dead and Calleigh looked up to see Tony watching her with a quizical look on his face. She smiled at him with a mockery of her usual expression.

"My wine. Thank you, Tony. Mr. Flanders will be here shortly and we will order lunch together. He'd like Maker's Mark to start off with, though."

"Of course, Ma'am." Tony was all solicitousness.

"Please, call me Marilyn."

There was no mistaking the pain that crept through the deep southern drawl of the beautiful blonde. Tony found himself wishing he hadn't chosen this particular couple to bilk, because he would have given his considerable life's savings at that moment to have been able to comfort the woman in front of him. _Whoa, there big guy. That kind of thinking will get you in trouble for certain. First of all, she's a mark, and second of all she's married…to him, _Tony thought as he caught motion from the corner of his eye and saw the big bulk of the Louisiana horseman making his way through the customers toward his wife. Furtively Tony watched and noted every small detail about the big man's expression. It was plain as muddy footprints on a white tile floor that something was wrong with "Mr. Flanders." He wore a pained look and was doing little to hide the fact that he was unhappy with his wife for starting their noon meal without him.

"Marilyn, I thought you were going to wait for me, darlin'."

"I'm sorry, babe. I just wanted to sip a little wine before lunch. I haven't really started without you."

"She did wait for you, Sir." Tony interjected as he noticed the big man's rising temper.

"Now see here, son, I don't need you tellin' me how to handle my own filly…hey wait a minute, aren't you the same guy who waited on us last night at that fancy hotel restaurant? I remember you. I remember that gizmo you tried to use on my credit cards too. Hope you got it figured out right today, cause I ain't in any mood to have that same kind of trouble today."

"My apologies, Mr. Flanders. I meant no disrespect, but the lady did tell me to wait on the food until you arrived."

"And a damned good thing it was that you did, Marilyn." There was no mistaking the heat in the big man's words. His anger was further displayed when he jerked the chair out from the table and sat down with a huff, glaring at his wife with no attempt to conceal his displeasure.

"Royce, please, babe, don't ruin a nice lunch." The blond's eyes swam with tears.

"Oh, now see here, Marilyn. Don't cry. I'm not really mad. Just wished you had waited on me like you said you'd do, that's all."

Royce Flanders reached across the table toward his wife and took her hand in his, lifting it toward his lips to kiss it softly.

"I love you, darlin', you know that. I could never really be mad at you for long."

Tony waited with bated breath, but the answering declaration of love was not forthcoming. Something was definitely wrong with this picture. Less than 24 hours before they had been like two teen aged lovers and now they were obviously at odds with each other. Whatever plans Tony had for further bilking them out of their money suddenly took a back seat to his desire to leave this couple alone for the rest of their stay in Miami. In the middle of a personal issue was no place for him to be.

"Marilyn, darlin', did you hear me? I said I love you."

"I heard you, Royce and I don't really think this is the place for that kind of talk."

"Oh, you don't? Well then I guess I'll just have to eat lunch by myself today." He turned back to Tony who was still waiting by the table. "Young man, the lady will be dining alone today after all. Here, take this card and use it for whatever she wants."

The big man fished in his wallet and pulled out a credit card, throwing it down on the table without even stopping to look at it.

Calleigh let out a terrified gasp as the piece of plastic tumbled face up and slid across the table toward Tony, and she tried to catch it, but missed. The card fell to the floor with a quiet rattle and Tony, leaned down to pick it up.

In a flash he saw that the card read "Miami Dade Police Department Credit Union. Francis Tripp"

TBC

A/N To all my precious friends who expressed concern, the medical results I mentioned in the last chapter should be back by the end of week. Hopefully by then I can reclaim my life from this anxiety and worry that has beset me since the first frightening news. Again thank you to all who have sent me PM's and other expressions of concern. I cherish them. They are sustaining me at the moment.

Lt. Caine


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Three sets of eyes stared in stunned disbelief at the wretched piece of plastic bearing the official logo of the Miami-Dade Police Department. Unfortunately for Frank and Calleigh, Tony recovered first.

"A cop!" His hand went down into his pant pocket and gripped the .38 bringing it out and digging it cruely into Calleigh's ribs. "I thought you two were way over the top with that husband and wife routine," he hissed into her ear. "Now pretty lady, you're coming with me."

Tony hooked an arm around Calleigh's neck in a choke hold and forced her to her feet.

"Come on, hustle!"

"Let her go! You don't have to do this." Frank growled when he finally found his voice again. The suddeness of their blown cover had momentarily taken him aback and he realized too late that he had placed Calleigh in grave danger by his colossal mistake in revealing their true identities.

"Shut up, big man." Tony snarled, tightening his hold on Calleigh. He waved the .38 at the onlookers who were slowly becoming aware that something was dreadfully wrong. Seeing several patrons reaching for their phones, presumably to dial 911, Tony fired a shot in the air toward their general direction, and shouted. "Anyone picks up a phone and this lady buys it!" Immediately, the would be good samaritans dropped to the floor, shielding themselves from further gunfire.

Frank stood watching in helpless rage and terror as Tony began to drag Calleigh backward toward the side exit, but before the young criminal had taken five steps backward, Frank caught a hint of motion to his left and flicked his eyes in that direction. Relief swept through him in a tidal wave as he recognized Horatio approaching them, gun drawn and ready.

"Let her go. You don't want to do this,"came Horatio's calm measured tones as he slowly eased toward the gunman who was holding the love of his life.

"Reinforcements eh?" Tony stopped his backward motion for a second and then continued more slowly backing toward the side exit and freedom. He tightened his choke hold on Calleigh so that she was almost unable to breathe and then pointed the gun at Frank who had taken two steps in their direction during the fleeting disraction of Horatio's appearance.

"Don't take another step, or I break her neck." Tony gave an evil smile. "And you, pretty lady, stop squirming or I put a bullet through your 'husband's head." He snorted in derision at that word. "Husband. Pitiful choice if that was for real. You'd be better off with red over there. He looks like a man who knows his way around women."

Calleigh tried once more to loosen Tony's hold on her, earning herself a fierce shake and a tightening of his unrelenting grip on her. Her vision began to grow dim, sparkles flared in front of her eyes, and she gasped for air.

"I told you to stop squirming." Tony said harshly.

"Let her go, Tony. It's over." Horatio said, still advancing slowly toward the pair. Frank had managed to draw his weapon and moved in a flanking motion to Horatio's right.

"Over? Never. I'll get away from here, ditch the blond and will disappear from the grid in 24 hours. Hey! Not another step closer. I will kill her."

"No you won't." Horatio answered calmly. "You're too smart for that. Credit card fraud is one thing, but killing a police officer is another. Let her go, son."

"Nah, not worth it. She's my bargaining chip out of this situation. But him…" Tony motioned toward Frank with his .38. "…he is expendable." Before anyone could utter another syllable, Tony fired two rounds into Frank's chest and lunged backward toward the exit door.

"Frank!" Calleigh screamed out as she watched the big man sink to the floor and lie still. "No…no."

"Oh shut up and come on. You and I are leaving, now." Tony's voice was sarcastic and brittle.

He would have made it out with Calleigh as his hostage had Horatio's 9mil not coughed once.

Time seemed to warp into slow motion then. A slow spreading crimson stain blossomed on the shoulder of Tony's shirt and a curious expression dawned in his eyes. Horatio had placed the bullet with perfection, shattering Tony's left shoulder and immediately releasing the death grip he had around Calleigh's neck.

Calleigh fell to the floor in front of Tony, choking and gasping for breath, and frantically clawing for the back up weapon strapped to her ankle. Before she had time to draw the weapon, the barrel of the .38 kissed her temple and she froze. Looking up, she found herself staring into Tony's eyes.

"I'm going to kill you right now," he said in a dazed voice.

Calleigh closed her eyes and waited for the shot. It came but there was no accompanying pain, and Calleigh realized that it was Horatio's weapon that had spoken again. This time the red stain appeared directly between Tony's eyes, and Calleigh watched as he slowly toppled to the floor and lay still.

Immediately upon realizing that she was no longer in danger, Calleigh scrambled toward Frank and knelt at his side. Dark arterial blood pooled rapidly beneath him and Calleigh knew from the copius amount that he didn't have long. From behind her she heard Horatio barking into his phone, calling for back up and an ambulance, but she ignored everything but Frank.

"Frank, stay with me. Please, stay with me."

A gurgle rattled in Frank's throat as he desperately tried to form words. "Maril…Marilyn…"

"Shhh. Don't try to talk. Rescue is on the way."

"No…no time…" Frank's voice trailed off and for a moment his eyes fluttered closed.

"Frank, no! Please. Just hang on. Hang on. I'm here. I'm with you. Don't let go."

By this time, Calleigh had Frank's head cradled in her lap in an attempt to elevate his head and help him breathe easier, but the death rattle grew worse with each labored breath he took. Once more he opened his eyes and looked up at Calleigh.

"Marilyn…I lo…I loved you…" A spasm of coughing seized him and blood frothed at his lips. "Marilyn…" Frank lifted one hand toward Calleigh's face in a caress and then his entire body went slack. Breath whispered from his lungs and his head rolled to the side.

"Frank… Oh, god Frank." Calleigh bowed her head over Frank's and gave full reign to the tears that fell from her eyes.

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

For several moments after Frank's last breath left his body, Horatio stood a respectful distance away from Calleigh who was sobbing quietly, holding Frank in her arms and refusing to let the ME have the body. Her cries tore at his heart, adding to the terrible aching regret he already felt at his part in Frank's having been in the situation to begin with. Finally, unable to bear the sounds of Calleigh's anguish any longer, Horatio walked over and squatted down beside her.

"Calleigh. Sweetheart." He spoke softly, "You have to let him go. Let Tom have him. You know he'll take good care of Frank. Let him go, Sweetheart." The sight of his best friend lying so terribly still wrenched at his heart, but Horatio pushed aside his own fierce pain in his effort to give solace to Calleigh.

Tear-drenched green eyes locked with Horatio's sad blue ones and Calleigh shook her head 'no'.

"Calleigh, please…"

"He loved me, Horatio." Calleigh choked out through her tears.

"I know, Sweetheart. I know. He told me."

Horatio heaved a sigh and stretched his hand toward the distraught blond. "Come on, Calleigh. It's time to go."

"Horatio I can't just leave him like this…" Calleigh's protest weakened as Horatio gently grasped her arms and disentangled them from their hold on the dead detective. "Calleigh, Tom will take care of him. Come on, we need to go."

"Frank…I…" For a moment, Calleigh drew away from Horatio's gentle grip, leaning down one last time toward Frank's face. She kissed his lips softly and whispered words that only eternity would ever know. At last she stood and turned toward Horatio, who had risen to his feet and turned to speak to the ME.

"Tom, see that he gets the VIP treatment." Horatio said quietly.

"I understand, Horatio. Nothing but the best for him, you can be sure of that." Tom's usual jovial mood was decidedly somber as he stood looking down at Frank's body.

"Thank you, Dr. We'll be leaving now. You can reach me on my cell if absolutely necessary."

Horatio then looked at Calleigh with a sad expression. "Here we go, Sweetheart…"

He drew her into his arms and turned her away from the gruesome sight of her dead 'husband'. Murmuring soft words of comfort, Horatio walked with her through the side exit and toward the army of MDPD vehicles that were parked just outside the Surf and Shore Bar. Straight as a laser, Horatio headed for his Hummer and helped Calleigh inside, leaning over her to buckle the seat belt and then closing the door.

Once out into traffic, Horatio reasoned that a trip to the ER and Alexx was first on the agenda for Calleigh. The brutality of Tony's choke hold was evident in the already deep blue and purple bruise forming around Calleigh's neck. Keeping his tone low and soft, Horatio spoke to her.

"Calleigh, I'm taking you to see Alexx first. We need to have you tended to before anyone even thinks about a debriefing."

No answer was forthcoming from Calleigh's side of the Hummer and Horatio risked a glance away from the road to look over at her.

A veritable waterfall of silent tears flowed down Calleigh's face, dripping from her chin down onto her pink blouse; a blouse that was now stained with Frank's blood.

The sight of his normally 'tough as nails' ballistics expert in such emotional agony sent pain lancing through his own heart, and Horatio decided that the debriefing could wait and IA could be damned if they didn't like it.

"Hang in there, Sweetheart. Just hang in there."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How is she, Alexx?" Horatio asked an hour later, when Alexx exited the examining room and approached him in the waiting area.

"Physically, she will heal just fine in a few days. Emotionally she's a wreck, Horatio. I've written her a script for a sedative."

"A wreck." Horatio tilted his head sideways and raised one eyebrow at his former ME's assessment of Calleigh's condition. "And this is your professional opinion?"

"She needs time off. Time to process and come to terms with Frank's death."

"And what about the rest of us?" Horatio asked, his tone far more bitter than he intended.

Alexx stepped closer to Horatio and stared him straight in the eyes without flinching. "You, my friend, need the time worse than she does."

"But Alexx…"

"Listen to me, Horatio Caine..." Alexx interrupted the redhead, earning a fierce glare from him which she disregarded completely. "Listen to me. I know you. You'll blame yourself for Frank's death and let the guilt eat you alive. You'll hide behind that famous Caine calmness and no one will know just how much you are hurting, until it all erupts out of your control, and then you'll end up here in the ER with me."

Alexx planted her hands on her hips and dared Horatio to refute what she had just said.

"So then what do you suggest?" Horatio asked in a gruff voice.

"Both of you need to take at least a week off," Alexx said.

"A week? Alexx you do realize what IAB will do when that report crosses their desks don't you? They will write up a psychiatric evaluation that could be very damaging."

"You asked me what I would suggest and that's it whether you like it or not. If both of you don't take the time off, IAB won't have to worry about the psych eval, Horatio. The entire department will know because one or both of you is bound to lose it on the job if you don't deal with this trauma and deal with it now."

"But Alexx…" Horatio ran a hand through his hair and then rubbed at his temple. The telltale tremble of his fingers did not escape Alexx' keen notice.

"Horatio, honey. Listen to me." Alexx voice vibrated with the honest care and love she felt for the man in front of her and the devastated blond in the room behind her. "If you won't take the time off for yourself…" Alexx waved her hand in the direction of the examining room and Calleigh, "…do it for Calleigh. She needs the time and she needs you."

Horatio searched Alexx' warm, brown eyes and saw only compassionate concern and understanding there. At last he nodded and whispered, "Okay, Alexx. You win. We'll both take a week off."

TBC

A/N At this writing I am somewhat calmer than I have been in the past few days. It is both comforting and terrifying to me to know that by tomorrow evening I will know for sure, one way or the other about this medical issue that intruded on my life so suddenly. Again, I thank every one of you who have expressed thoughts and or prayers, or any kind of support for me recently. You've been very encouraging.

Lt. Caine


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Horatio parked the Hummer outside Calleigh's condo and killed the engine. Giving a sigh he looked over at his passenger and realized that if Calleigh were to make it inside, he would have to walk her in or quite possibly carry her. The sedative Alexx had given her had all but knocked her completely out; her head lay back against the headrest, and her hands lay in her lap. She was for all appearances totally limp and lifeless.

"Calleigh." Horatio called her name quietly, neither expecting nor receiving any response from the insensate blond. He shook his head and gave a soft grunt. "Okaayy…" A pang of guilt pinched at his conscience, but he ignored it as he reached beyond Calleigh's knees down toward the floorboard of the Hummer. His questing fingers found and grasped the strap of her handbag and pulled it from beneath the seat.

Horatio pursed his lips for a moment and then blew out a breath before snapping open the clasp of the handbag. A moment's careful rummaging produced keys that looked to be door keys, and Horatio slipped them into his jacket pocket, then quickly closed the clasp of the bag, although not before noticing that Calleigh's wallet lay open inside and one of the photos she carried was of himself.

Leaving his side of the Hummer, Horatio walked to Calleigh's door and opened it carefully, since her head was partially resting against the window. He paused for a moment before leaning across her inert body and unfastening the seatbelt. Once free from the restraint of the belt, Calleigh slumped toward him and he only barely caught her in his arms before she tumbled out of the seat.

"Here we go, Sweetheart," he murmured softly, kicking the door shut and turning toward the condo.

At the door, it took some impressive maneuvering to open the lock without letting go of Calleigh, but somehow Horatio managed it smoothly. He stepped inside, toed the door closed and strode down the hall toward what he was certain were the bedrooms.

At the first door, Horatio peered in and after a moment's inspection realized that it was a guest room. Everything in the room had the appearance of being too sterile and bore a distinctive look of non-use. He continued on down the hall and looked into the next room. This one, he was sure was Calleigh's bedroom. Closer perusal proved his assumption to be correct as his visual inspection noted several personal items he recognized; Calleigh's watch on the dresser, her favorite stilettos peeking demurely from the open closet door, and her .45 lying in its holster on the edge of the nightstand.

Inside his ballistics expert's personal sanctuary, Horatio was suddenly seized by an almost boyish shyness. He blushed at the sight of her lacy robe which lay draped over the back of the chair, and he caught himself averting his eyes from the open door to the master bath. It was not the invasion of privacy that it felt like, and he knew it, but still he was reluctant to trespass on what was in his personal opinion, 'hallowed ground'.

Horatio tried then to rouse Calleigh, calling her name and lowering her feet to the floor to see if she could stand unassisted. Calleigh remained limp and non-responsive as a wet washcloth, which presented him with a problem. Leaving her lying on the bed still clad in the bloodstained clothing she now wore would have been calloused beyond the pale, so Horatio steeled himself to the fact that he would have to help her out of her clothes. First he gently deposited her on the bed and set about searching for something to replace the garments he planned to remove. Opening and closing several of the dresser drawers finally revealed a gown that matched the robe draped over the chair and Horatio lifted it from the drawer almost reverently, savoring the slide of the slick material against his fingers. Idly he wondered if Calleigh's skin would feel as soft as the… _Damn it man, focus! How the hell dare you think about her like that at a time like this?! _Horatio's conscience lashed at him mercilessly.

Rather more roughly than he intended, Horatio slipped an arm beneath Calleigh's shoulder and raised her into a sitting position. He gritted his teeth and began unfastening the pearl buttons of her blouse. Each snap that released its grasp revealed more and more of her creamy skin until Horatio was tense and vibrating by the time he had all the tiny little snaps open. He was then tasked with removing the shirt from her body and that produced all sorts of images in his head, images that he grimly battered into submission before even beginning to untuck the shirt from Calleigh's jeans. Finally, mercifully, he was able to ease the blood stained shirt away from Calleigh's body and he dropped it to the floor beside the bed. Calleigh's jeans were next and Horatio found himself seeking for an extra measure of strength in accomplishing that task.

Finally, Calleigh lay undressed on the bed, clad only in her bra and panties, which had somehow escaped contact with Frank's blood. Horatio knew that she would probably be more comfortable without the bra, but he hesitated at that item of clothing. Removing her outer garments was one thing, but the thought of removing her 'unmentionables' sent thoughts careening through his mind that he had very little power to control. It would be wiser, he reasoned, not to tempt fate, and yet… _I'll probably regret this for the rest of my life, _he thought as he once again gently raised Calleigh's shoulders from the bed. His hand slid along her back until he felt the clasp of the lacy, pink bra and he expertly undid the closure. Forcing himself to close his eyes as he did so, Horatio eased the straps from Calleigh's shoulders by touch, and then groped carefully on the bed with his hand until he found the gown he had placed there. Again by touch alone, he managed to position the silky material over her head and knew instinctively by the feel of material sliding over his hand that the gown had fallen low enough to cover her nudity. He opened his eyes and received the shock of his life.

Calleigh was looking directly at him, her eyes large and glassy.

TBC

A/N This update will probably be the last I post about the medical issue that descended upon my life unannounced and uninvited. Long story short, I received grim news, and am awaiting the results of further testing to see what options if any are available. I would ask that you please respect my privacy at this time. Comments I don't mind, questions are not so welcomed right now. Please understand, I don't mean to be rude, but this is something that only my family and I need the details of. To those precious few of you whom I have confided in, I treasure the assurance that you will keep that confidence and will continue to stand by me during this very difficult time of my life.

Lt. Caine


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**A/N Some of you will want to tear me apart for this chapter. Please don't. I wouldn't enjoy that at all. It is bad enough that these two are wounded without my being injured as well. For those of you who want an eventual H/Cal ending, hang on. For those of you who want to see more pain from Horatio about Frank's death, here it is. It's not pretty.**

**Lt. Caine**

"Horatio?" Calleigh slurred up at the man holding her.

"Calleigh, Sweetheart, I…" Horatio stammered and fell silent as he became acutely aware that he was still holding Calleigh in a very intimate manner. Untangling his hands from the gown that now pooled around Calleigh's waist, Horatio stepped back slowly, ready to catch her if she showed signs of imbalance. Calleigh's body swayed slightly and she put a shaky hand on the bed beside her to steady herself, ignoring the fact that Horatio was standing within inches of her and had his hand stretched out, offering his assistance.

"…'ratio…why'r you...'ere?" In her drugged condition, Calleigh had no idea just how very much she sounded like Frank Tripp with her truncated pronunciation of Horatio's name. Horatio, however, had no such fortification in his system and the similarity hit him square in the heart.

"Damn it, Calleigh." Horatio muttered under his breath and then answered aloud, "Never mind why I'm here, just go back to sleep. That will be best for you." He turned his back to the blond and rubbed wearily at his neck, trying to chase away the wicked knots of tension that corded his muscles.

"But…I'm not shleeppyy, 'ratio…" Calleigh protested. Along with her protest came the foggy idea that she should get out of bed, so Calleigh tried sliding her legs toward the edge of the bed with the intention of standing up. This produced the immediate and unfortunate result of making the room spin crazily about her head and she gasped and flailed at the air, trying to steady herself.

Horatio spun around and saw Calleigh swaying toward the edge of the bed. "Calleigh Duquesne, don't you know when to stay still?!" He moved swiftly back toward the bed and clamped his hands over Calleigh's legs, halting her ill advised effort to force herself into a standing position.

"But, I need…need to get back to Royce…he's at the Surf and Shore. I shouldn't have…shouldn't have… left him there alone…Need to get back to him…"

Time ground to a halt as the meaning of Calleigh's words sank into Horatio's already wounded heart. _Calleigh was still in role, believing she was Marilyn Flanders. _Tears burned the back of Horatio's eyes but he held them in check by sheer force of iron determination. Settling himself carefully on the bed beside the increasingly agitated blonde, Horatio took both of her hands in his and looked deep into her glassy eyes, searching desperately for signs of lucidity. What he saw was not at all encouraging, still he tried reaching her through the fog of drugs and shock that had obviously clouded her usually sharp mind.

"Calleigh, Sweetheart, listen to me. The case is over. We got the credit card thief. His name was Tony. Do you remember?"

"Tony?" Calleigh asked very slowly. She blinked several times as though trying to clear her vision.

"Yes, his name was Tony. Think Calleigh. You were on assignment undercover…"

"With Frank…" Calleigh's voice cleared slightly as she said her partner's name.

"Yes, with Frank…" Horatio only barely kept the tremble from his own voice as he watched memory creep back into Calleigh's consciousness.

"Frank…and I were…" Calleigh's voice trailed off and she gazed dreamily down at her left hand.

Horatio followed her line of sight and felt his chest constrict tightly at the glimmer of the wedding band Frank had placed there as part of their cover during the assignment. The inevitable came and it was no less painful than Horatio expected.

"We were…undercover as…married…but where's…" Slow dawning pain pooled in Calleigh's eyes and dripped down her chin in the form of tears. "He sh…shot…shot Frank."

Horatio nodded silently, his own heart breaking anew at the reiteration of the horrible truth. Frank Tripp, his one time best friend, lay dead in the Miami-Dade County Morgue. Refusing to be held at bay any longer, two hot salty tears made their way down Horatio's face and dripped from his chin.

"He's…he's…" Calleigh couldn't seem to say the word.

"He's dead, Calleigh." Horatio almost choked on the word himself, but knew that the sooner both of them came to terms with it, the easier it would be for them to move past the pain.

"No…No…NO!" Calleigh screamed out, finally giving voice to the grief and pain that had been temporarily forced into silence by shock and the sedative. "How dare you say he's dead?!" She lashed out at Horatio and slapped him hard across the face, catching him completely off guard.

"Calleigh!" Horatio barked out and grabbed her hands tightly in his to keep her from striking him again. "Calleigh listen to me." He shook her slightly and continued in a voice roughened by his own intense pain, "Frank Tripp is dead. Get it through your head, Calleigh. Tony shot him twice in the chest. He's dead. He died in your arms. Frank is DEAD."

"No…Please, no…He loved me, Horatio…and I…"

"Don't say it, Calleigh. So help me I'll…" Horatio bit back the rest of his words, realizing that even though rationality was slowly returning to his ballistics expert, she was still far from operating with her full faculties.

The stinging tone of Horatio's voice seemed to penetrate Calleigh's dazed senses and she looked up at him in shock.

"Horatio…I'm…I'm sorry…I slapped you…I'm so sorry…" Sobs punctuated every few words and at length Calleigh hung her head and simply cried.

"It's okay, Sweetheart. It's okay." For a moment, Horatio fought his inclination, but then he reached out and gently drew Calleigh into his arms, enfolding her in a warm and tender embrace. "Just cry it out, Sweetheart. I understand completely. We both lost someone dear today."

Calleigh clung to Horatio and wept, molding herself against him as the storm of pain and loss crashed over and through her. Had she not been so immersed in her own private pain, she would have felt the shaking of Horatio's shoulders as he too finally gave himself permission to grieve and began sobbing from the depths of his own broken heart.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Eric stood quietly watching as Dr. Lohman conducted the post on Frank Tripp. Observing the procedure had never been easy for the big Cuban, but it was especially difficult when it was one of their own lying on the table, naked as the day they were born and just as vulnerable. It just seemed such a violation of privacy.

"He was an otherwise healthy man," Tom commented, as he finished sponging off the blood from Frank's chest around the two bullet wounds.

"Didn't take much to change that did it?" Eric's tone was bitter and resentful.

"Bullets have a way of doing that to a person, yes." Tom carefully probed the first hole and using the tweezers worked the mangled round out. He placed it in the glass dish on the side tray and then repeated the process to extract the second bullet. The two twisted bits of metal clinked against the glass dish and Tom placed the lid on it and handed it to Eric.

"Two little pieces of metal." Eric shook his head sadly, peering into the container at the two small messengers of of death that had ended Frank Tripp's life. "Give me a minute, will you Tom? Please."

Tom saw the sorrow on Eric's face and stepped back from the table. "Sure. Take your time. I'll be right out in the hall."

As soon as the closing door assured Eric that Tom would not hear him, he began to talk softly to the dead detective.

"Frank, you and I were never as close friends as you and Horatio, but I did consider you a friend. I don't know exactly what you and Calleigh had together, but I don't think you would have intentionally hurt her for the world or Horatio for that matter. He loves Calleigh, you know that don't you? And he loved you too as his best friend. Now you're dead, Calleigh's a mess and Horatio is broken hearted. It's a shame that things had to turn out the way they did, a shame it had to happen to the three of you."

For a moment, Eric paused and traced his fingers over the gleaming badge that lay in the tray filled with Frank's personal effects. Among the items was the "wedding band" that went along with the cover Frank and Calleigh were creating. The gleam of light reflected from the golden ring stabbed at Eric's heart and he blinked back unbidden tears.

"I'm sorry, Frank, really sorry…for all three of you. None of you deserved any of this."

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Wave after wave of grief and pain washed over the two wounded hearts, and rivers of tears flowed from two sets of eyes. Horatio rocked Calleigh gently, holding her close and murmuring out inarticulate sounds of comfort, trying to assuage her grief even as his own eyes overflowed with hurt and sorrow. They were two souls adrift in a sea of misery, battered and tossed by torrents of grief. But as with all storms, the ferocity of the emotional maelstrom eased at length, and the only sounds to be heard from either Horatio or Calleigh were soft sniffles and an occasional hiccupping sob.

Calleigh was blind to all but the warmth and comfort of the embrace that held her safe and secure. She clung to it tightly, soaking in the solace that her battered emotions so desperately needed. When at last she did finally lift her head from Horatio's chest, her face was a total mess. Tears had washed most of her makeup away, leaving blotches on her usually flawless skin, and her mascara ran in tiny rivulets down her cheeks. Her eyes were red and bloodshot. Sweat plastered her hair to her forehead and she reached up an unsteady hand to push it aside, grimacing at the sticky feel of it.

"You look just fine, Sweetheart."

The sound of Horatio's smooth voice deeply graveled by emotion pulled Calleigh's gaze to his eyes. Pain and haunting regret shone out from the usually clear blue orbs and tears still jeweled the russet lashes. Biting her bottom lip to keep back a fresh shower of tears, she reached up and gently wiped the moisture from Horatio's eyes.

"He's really…gone isn't he?" she whispered.

A solemn nod was the answer.

"I hurt him, Horatio. He loved me and I…I hurt him. I did love him, but not the way he wanted or deserved and I hurt him."

"Shhh. I think he knew you didn't mean to hurt him, Sweetheart." Horatio cupped her face in one hand and tenderly stroked across her cheek with his thumb.

"Do you really believe that, Horatio?" Calleigh's eyes searched Horatio's, desperately looking for assurance or maybe even absolution.

"I believe that with all my heart, Calleigh. That was enough. Frank died happy. You gave that to him. Believe that Sweetheart."

"I want to, Horatio but it's just…Oh, I'm so confused about everything." Calleigh sighed and wrung her hands, twisting nervously at the wedding band that still adorned her finger.

"I know. Give it time."

A companionable silence descended then and each was lost in their own private reflections, until Horatio sighed and gently set Calleigh back away from him. He stretched slightly and stood up, one hand rubbing at his cramped back muscles and the other raking through his hair. It seemed almost cold for him to leave now, but he knew there were things that he needed to get done, paperwork to fill out and reports to file.

Looking down at Calleigh, he said softly, "Are you going to be okay this evening, or do I need to stop back by and check on you when I'm done for the day?

Calleigh's answer didn't really surprise either of them.

"Please don't go. Stay with me. _I need you." _

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Silence hung suspended in the space between Horatio and Calleigh, until Calleigh softly repeated her plea.

"Stay with me, Horatio. I don't…I don't want to be alone right now."

"Sweetheart I don't know if that's…" He peered closely at Calleigh, looking for signs of lucid thought.

"Please."

The look in Calleigh's eyes and the lost little girl expression on her face did more to convince Horatio than her spoken words. Something tugged painfully within his chest and he realized that his heart had made the decision for him without consulting his common sense. These were dangerous waters they were both treading, unfathomable depths that could swallow them whole without mercy if they weren't cautious in the extreme.

"Okay. Let me make a few phone calls. And I need to get a few things from my condo. No more than 45 minutes."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Caine, old man, you are losing it," Horatio muttered to himself as he dug through the top dresser drawer and pulled out a set of silk pajamas which hadn't seen wear in quite some time. "You realize it's just plain suicidal to say with her and the two of you in the condition you're both in." A pair of boxers and a clean undershirt joined the pajamas in the duffle bag on the floor. "She's traumatized on more than one level…" Horatio stalked over to his closet, yanked open the door and flipped through the hangers until he found the slacks he wanted, then pulled out a stunning black and royal blue striped shirt and a black leather belt. "You're more hurt than you're willing to admit to her or yourself…" The bathroom was Horatio's next target and he drew the toiletries bag from the top shelf of the cabinet and began placing items inside…comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream and deodorant. "It's insane to put yourself or Calleigh in this type of situation…gasoline on an open fire, old man. Gasoline on an open fire."

The running monologue continued as Horatio completed his hasty packing, and by the time he had gathered everything necessary for an overnight stay, his rationality had almost convinced him that staying with Calleigh was the most incredibly risky thing he could do aside from playing Russian roulette with his own service weapon. Still he had only to close his eyes and he could see clearly the expression of pain and hurt on Calleigh's face, and he wanted nothing more than to be the one to comfort her. Perhaps it was foolish or foolhardy, but he was determined to see her smile again, and if that meant placing himself at risk of further heartbreak, he was willing to endure.

"You say that now," he growled at himself as he walked out the front door and headed for the Hummer, "…but wait until your heart is ground to powder and then see how you feel."

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Calleigh sat in bed with her knees drawn up to her chin, her arms wrapped around her legs, and her chin resting on her knees. The sedative Alexx had given her still held considerable sway over her thinking but she was beginning to form thoughts that were slightly more lucid than before.

_We lost Frank. _A tear fell from her eye. _I watched him die in my arms. _She sniffled. _Horatio took me to Alexx. Why is my throat and neck so sore? _A trembling hand rose and felt cautiously of the side of her neck. _Tony choked me, I remember now. __He shot Frank. Frank. _Calleigh sighed deeply. _Frank loved me. Frank made love to me, and I let him think…Horatio is hurt. Frank was his best friend. _Calleigh lowered one hand and traced the pattern of the down comfort beneath her fingers. _Horatio was just here a minute ago. I asked him to stay with me…_

That thought brought Calleigh's head up from her arms like a shot, her eyes wide and frightened. "I asked him to stay with me."

At that moment the door to her bedroom opened and Horatio walked in holding a duffle bag, and a clean set of clothes. One look at the expression on Calleigh's face, and he dropped everything to the floor and quickly stepped toward the bed.

"Calleigh, Sweetheart, are you okay?"

"Horatio…I'm…" Calleigh stopped looked up into Horatio's face. "No…No I'm not okay. I'm scared, and I'm confused, and I just want to go back 24 hours before everything got so jumbled and crazy, before Frank died and we all…" Tears welled up again in the green eyes and overflowed down Calleigh's face.

"Calleigh, Calleigh," Horatio soothed, settling himself on the edge of the bed next to her and gathering her into his arms.

"Hold me. Make it all go away, please." Calleigh's voice was muffled by Horatio's shirt.

"I've got you. Just hang on."

Realizing that this fresh storm of emotion was likely to last a while, Horatio kicked off his shoes and somehow managed to position himself on the bed beside Calleigh, holding her snuggly in his arms.

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Tom sat next to Eric at the bar, staring into his drink, just listening. By chance the two men had walked out of the building at the same time after work and Tom, knowing how much Frank's death had affected everyone, had invited Eric for a drink. Much to his surprise, the big Cuban accepted and there they sat, drinking and talking. Rather Eric did most of the talking and Tom sat listening quietly. After the third glass of some vile looking Cuban drink Eric had told the entire story, leaving out none of the details.

"...so you see, they all loved someone but it wasn't the one that was in love with them," Eric slurred slightly, and Tom signaled the bartender 'no more for him' behind Eric's back.

"That's really quite sad, Delko." Tom's voice held sincere sympathy.

"Yeah it is. I tried to tell Horatio that it was just a kiss, but I don't think he believed me."

Tom looked at Eric and shook his head. The big man was going to need help getting home.

_So much sorrow, so much pain_ Tom thought. "A kiss is never just a kiss," he muttered to himself as he pulled his phone out to call for a taxi.

TBC

A/N I never inteded to keep writing like this in the wake of my distressing medical situation, but I am finding that the writing does a marvelous job of keeping my thoughts occupied. I will apologize up front if the product seems disjointed at times.

Lt. Caine


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

An hour slipped by and neither Horatio nor Calleigh was aware of its passage toward eternity. All that mattered to Calleigh was the warmth and comfort of Horatio's arms around her and the solid support of his chest. The scent of his cologne worked its way deep into her senses and she took deep breaths, inhaling the heady fragrance into her battered psyche.

Horatio would have gladly stayed in his cramped position for the rest of the evening and long into the night had Calleigh expressed a need or even a mere wish to do so. Every dream he'd ever had of holding her close had been brought to fruition and he was reluctant to let go of the intoxicating feel of her body snuggled so close to his. Of course, his dreams had never included Frank dying as the impetus for Calleigh being in her current position, and Horatio sighed softly, his breath stirring the spun gold of Calleigh's hair.

At length, Calleigh sighed, echoing Horatio, and sniffled, scrubbing at her tear streaked face with one hand.

"I'm sorry, Horatio…" she whispered.

"No worries," he assured her just as quietly. He loosened his embrace slightly and was inordinately pleased when Calleigh did not move away from him. Instead, she shifted positions slightly and nestled closer to his side.

"Horatio?" Her voice was small and tentative.

"Yes, Sweetheart?"

"Was I wrong?"

"Sweetheart?" Horatio was confused at the question.

"Was I wrong to let Frank…" Calleigh's voice trailed off for a moment as uncertainty pricked at her conscience. Then as though the simple acknowledgement of the event had broken a damn somewhere, the words began tumbling out almost faster than Horatio could understand them.

"Was I wrong to let Frank make love to me, Horatio? Was I wrong to enjoy it? How did I let myself lose sight of the objective so easily? I slept with Frank, and I can't say that I loved him like he loved me. I loved him more like a big brother and I feel like I did something unpardonable…something frivolous and meaningless…It should have had as much meaning for me as it did for him, but it…I feel dirty, feel like I used him…feel no better than some of the…"

Calleigh might have gone on disparaging her own worth, had Horatio not laid a firm finger over her lips to stop the flow of demeaning words. The loss of Frank Tripp was bad enough, but to hear Calleigh verbalize the loss of her own self-respect was more than Horatio could assimilate.

"Calleigh Duquesne, listen to me." Horatio's voice was tense with feeling as he sat up and held Calleigh away from him so he could look straight into her eyes. "You are a wonderful person, never mistake that. You didn't do anything that any other good person might have done in the same situation. You and Frank were in a high stress operation and it was only natural that you would respond to him somewhat differently than you would have under normal conditions. That doesn't make you a bad person, Sweetheart. Don't put that burden on yourself."

"And you don't…"

"I don't what?" Horatio said, looking closely at Calleigh, encouraging her without words to finish her unspoken question.

"You don't think less of me?" The trepidation in her voice pulled mightily at Horatio's heartstrings.

"Oh, Sweetheart, I could never think less of you for that. You're only human."

Calleigh dropped her eyes from Horatio's and her shoulders sagged under the weight of her own self-imposed guilt.

"Calleigh, Sweetheart, don't do this to yourself."

When Calleigh still wouldn't look up at him, Horatio gently captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tenderly forced her head up. Her tear-drenched eyes searched his, begging him without words for his forgiveness. Seeing the look of contrition on Calleigh's face he whispered, "Don't."

"But I…"

"Shhh. Come back here to me and just rest."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eric mumbled to himself as the taxi wound it's way through traffic toward his home. Tom had helped him into the back seat and made sure he was buckled before returning to his own car and following the taxi all the way to Eric's condo. When they arrived, Eric was either sound asleep or passed out and Tom shook his head as he took out several bills, paid the driver and then maneuvered the now limp CSI from the back seat and onto his feet beside the car.

"Need any help, with him, Sir?" The cabby asked, seeing the difficulty Tom was having.

"No, but thanks anyway."

"S'no problem."

"I appreciate it, but no."

By this time, Tom had an arm wrapped firmly around Eric's waist and was walking him toward the door. Eric was literally out on his feet. His eyes were closed, and his legs seemed to move with no conscious direction from his brain. At the door, Tom congratulated himself again for having the forethought to snag Eric's keys from him before loading him into the taxi. Now it was only a simple matter of keeping Eric from collapsing into a puddle on the front step while he inserted the key into the lock and opened the door.

"And in we go, Eric. Now to find your room and put you to bed. I"m afraid my friend that you will have quite a headache in the morning."

TBC

A/N As of this writing, I am happy to let my readers know that the testing I was waiting for came back with the best result possible short of a complete miracle. There will be a surgery involved, but now the time frame of life is being measured in years, not months as I had feared. It's not the future I would have chosen, but given the options, I'm glad to have a future period.

My apologies for the brevity and the lack of quality in this chapter. I had to dry write this one without Athena. It appears she has left me for a bit and I've been completely without my usual inspiration. I do hate it when she takes an unscheduled and unannounced vacation.

Lt. Caine


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Nighttime came and with it a softening of the sharp, bright edges of grief. Daylight gave way to soothing darkness and the world slowed somewhat from its chaotic tumble around the stunned and hurting CSI's.

Tom grumbled slightly under his breath as he fidgeted, trying with little success to find a comfortable position on the couch in Eric's living room. After helping Eric to his own bedroom and making sure that he had removed enough of his outerwear to be comfortable, Tom had made the decision to stay the night just to make sure the big Cuban was alright. He didn't know much about Eric, but Tom did know that he'd never seen him drink as heavily as he had done in the aftermath of Frank's death. Of only one thing was Tom absolutely certain. Given the amount of alcohol Eric had consumed, he would have a killer hangover when he awoke. Giving another expressive sigh, Tom at last gave up on the idea of sleep and sat up on the edge of the couch.

"Might as well watch TV," he said to himself as he reached for the remote lying on the coffee table in front of him.

With a flicker, the huge wall-mounted, plasma screen TV came to life and Tom felt a moment's panic until he found the volume control and turned it to minimum.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Calleigh snuggled close to Horatio, basking in the warmth emanating from his body. After the emotional rollercoaster she'd been forced to endure during the previous 48 hours, she was very glad to simply lie still and be quiet. After some time, it registered with her that while she was comfortably dressed in her nightgown, Horatio was still fully dressed in his work shirt and suit jacket, and his badge and gun were still clipped to his belt. _He must be awfully uncomfortable, _she thought.

"Horatio?" she querried softly.

"Hmmm?"

"Are you comfortable?"

A quiet chuckle preceeded his answer. "Not really, but no worries, Sweetheart. As long as you are that's what matters."

"I'm sorry, Handsome. I'm being awfully selfish about all this aren't I?" Calleigh shifted to move away from Horatio's body, stretching as she sat up in bed next to him.

"You'd probably be more comfortable without your badge and gun digging into your side wouldn't you?"

"Now that you mention it, Sweetheart…" Horatio swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He unclipped his badge and holster from his belt and laid them both on the nightstand next to Calleigh's bed. Then he shrugged out of his suit jacket and draped it over the back of the decorative rattan chair next to the dresser. "Much better," he smiled at Calleigh. "The shoes come off, and I'll be good as good."

"You do look more comfortable now," Calleigh said softly.

"I am, Sweetheart." Horatio looked closely at his ballistics expert, gauging just how comfortable she really was with their current situation. After years of working with the team, he knew that sometimes in the heat of a distressing moment, things were said, and decisions made that caused regret and resentment later on down the line. This was one of those very situations and he wanted to give Calleigh the benefit of being able to revoke her request for him to stay the night if she chose to do so. Stepping back toward the bed, he reached out a hand and gently cupped the side of her face, tilting her head upwards slightly so he could look directly into her beautiful green eyes. His thumb stroked softly over her cheek before he spoke again.

"Calleigh, are you absolutely certain you want me to stay with you tonight?"

"Yes, Horatio, I'm certain. There's no one else I'd feel comfortable with. If I stay alone…" Calleigh's voice trailed off in to nothing, and she simply stared at him, imploring him with her eyes. _Please don't go. I need you._

Seeing the reassurance he sought shimmering in the depths of Calleigh's gaze, Horatio nodded once and then pressed a soft kiss against Calleigh's forehead. "Okay, Sweetheart. I'll stay," he murmured softly."

Morning would give him ample reason to question the wisdom of his decision, but for the moment, he saw only the need on Calleigh's face and found himself responding out of his own wounded emotions. It was to prove a volitile combination.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After an excruciating hour of inane television babel, Tom decided he'd better at least try to get whatever sleep he could salvage from the remainder of the night, but before he settled back down onto the couch he cautiously made his way down the hall to Eric's bedroom to check on the drunken CSI.

Eric lay sprawled out in the bed, flat on his back and snoring as though he didn't have a care in the world, relaxed and for all appearances very comfortable.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, my friend," Tom muttered softly. "You'll be miserable in the morning."

He closed the door and went back to the living room. Forty-five minutes later, Tom too was sound asleep and snoring.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hours later, sensation seeped into Horatio's sleep relaxed body and he stirred slightly, arching toward the pleasureable feel of soft hands moving against his skin. Another delicate touch and he was instantly awake, his eyes snapping open and his body tensing to spring into action. Calleigh lay next to him, one slender leg tangled between his, her thigh pressing into him intimately and her body snuggled warm and soft against his. Her eyes were closed in sleep but her hands moved restlessly over his chest and Horatio heard her murmur his name _Horatio. _Silently he groaned, steeling himself against the immediate and almost overwhelming desire to draw her into his arms and feel the sweet touch of her lips beneath his.

"Calleigh," he whispered urgently. He captured one small hand in his to still the sweet tempation of her wandering caresses.

No response.

"Calleigh, Sweetheart. Wake up."

When there was still no sign of awareness from her, Horatio grasped her carefully by the upper arms and gently shook her.

"Wake up, Sweetheart. Calleigh."

This time, Calleigh responded with a husky whisper, "_Love me, please."_

"God, Calleigh," Horatio groaned, closing his eyes in a desperate attempt to control the flaring of response. He froze when Calleigh's hand reached up to cup his face. The next thing he knew her lips were moving against his and he forgot everything but how completely right it felt.

Giving one last token attempt at waking her, Horatio pushed halfheartedly against her, only to find that he was in reality drawing her closer to his chest. Resistance faded, and he gave in to the long suppressed desire he had carried for his ballistics expert. Morning light might bring him regrets, but right now he had this moment and his body made the decision to take advantage of it regardless of the collateral damage he knew he might face when Calleigh was lucid once more.

TBC

**A/N My dear, dear readers, first my apologies for the lapse in writing. The surgery I referenced at my last writing went well, however there was a rather unsettling surprise involved, so I am once again awaiting the results of a pathology report. Hopefully Athena will grace me with her presence while I wait this go around. She rather left me in a lurch a few weeks ago and I've had neither the energy nor the inclincation to write. I trust it will be better now that the worst is over for the moment.**

**For all the reviews and comments and prayers and thoughts, I could never say thank you enough. **

**Lt. Caine**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Shrouded as she was in sleep and the lingering effect of the sedative, Calleigh was still alert enough to realize that the dream she was having felt extraordinarily real. The touch of Horatio's hands was so warm. The taste of his kisses was intoxicating. The husky timbre of his voice stirred her too deeply for it to be a mere fantasy of her overwrought emotions. And yet she was afraid to open her eyes for fear it was indeed all just a drug induced fog.

"Horatio," she moaned quietly when his hands slipped beneath the edge of her nightgown and began to inch it up.

"Hmm?" came his purring reply. His lips brushed soft caresses against the side of her neck and Calleigh shivered.

"Horatio is this just a dream?" she whispered, her eyes still tightly closed.

"If it is…" he nipped gently at the racing pulse he found in her throat, "…if it is we are both having the same dream."

Calleigh would have been perfectly content to float forever, wrapped in the protective cocoon of drugs, sleep and the imagined strength of Horatio's arms, but the harsh sound of a ringing cell phone ruptured the bubble of euphoria that surrounded her. She came to full awareness with shocking suddenness.

The phone was very real, and so was Horatio. So too was the reality of their compromising position. Calleigh discovered that she was laying against Horatio's chest, with her hands flush against his bare chest. The telltale moisture pooling between her legs alerted her to her aroused state as did the tingling of her lips from what she could only surmise were passionate kisses. Swift color flooded her face and Calleigh cringed away from him, scrambling to her side of the bed. She jumped out of bed and took three frightened steps before his voice stopped her dead in her tracks. _Oh my god, he must think I'm terrible, acting like this so soon after losing Frank!_ Calleigh's conscience assaulted her mercilessly.

"Calleigh…please…don't run, not after I've tasted your sweet kisses."

Pain lanced through Calleigh's heart at the haunting familiarity of the words, and she whirled to face Horatio.

"No…No…That's what HE said!" She cried, tears by now streaming down her face. The flow strengthened, fed by bewilderment and overwhelming fear, and became a veritable waterfall of emotion. Propelled as if by wings, Calleigh flew through the open door of the master bathroom and slammed it shut, locking herself inside.

Horatio had to shake his head. In the span of a heartbeat, the situation had gone from tenderness to intense anxiety, and he was at a total loss to know how to calm this newest storm of emotion that had so suddenly descended upon the blonde. Easing out of the bed, he moved quietly toward the closed bathroom door, pausing for a moment to listen for movement from the other side.

"Calleigh," he called out quietly. "Sweetheart…"

His only answer was heartbreaking sobs.

"Please, Calleigh…, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you or hurt you. Please…"

"Just go away, Horatio. Go away." Calleigh's voice was muffled behind the door, but not so much that Horatio couldn't hear the sound of tears that choked her voice.

"Not going to happen, Sweetheart." Horatio said quietly but very firmly. "Not going to happen."

In the background Horatio's cell phone still rang, but no one paid it any attention. At last it fell silent, and the message light blinked a silent beacon. _You have a new message._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eric regained consciousness slowly, drifting up through layers of stupor until he was finally awake and aware. The piercing brightness of the morning light made him wince and screw his eyes shut tightly. He rolled his head to the side to look at the clock and immediately realized his mistake when the room executed a lazy full circle across his bleary vision.

"Oh, god just let me die now," he groaned out to the empty room. His stomach once again signaled its intention of revolting and he only barely staggered from the bed to the bathroom door in time to splatter vile smelling vomit all across the cool floor tiles. Twice, three times his stomach rebelled against him and Eric hung his head, tears sliding down his face and dripping from his chin to mingle with the nasty mess on the floor. After the cleansing, but debilitating purge of his stomach, he sank weakly to the floor and leaned against the doorframe, head bowed and shoulders slumped.

His head felt as though an entire construction crew had taken up residence inside and his stomach churned like an ocean under a full moon. He was well and truly hungover.

"The Papi of all hangovers…" he moaned.

"Ah Good morning, Delko," came an obnoxiously cheerful sounding voice. "I see you're finally awake."

The sound of Dr. Loman's voice was decidedly unwelcome as well as distinctly puzzling to Eric who was far from being in full command of his reasoning skills at the moment.

"Tom?" Eric wheezed, directing a confused gaze upward toward the Dr. who stood in the doorway of the bathroom smiling down at him. "Tom what are…what are you doing in my bathroom?"

"Well I just decided that I'd be a lousy friend if I let you come home in the condition you were in last night after we left the bar. You do remember being at the bar don't you Delko?"

"Bar?" Eric seemed to swing between quasi intelligent sentences and single syllable questions that took an inordinate amount of thought.

"Yes, Delko the bar. The Biscayne Blues Bar. We went out for a drink after work and you rather overdid it. But considering Frank had just died, I'm not surprised. We were all a little rattled yesterday."

"Frank died?" Eric slurred as he struggled to his feet.

"Yes, unfortunately, our own Frank Tripp caught two .38 rounds in the chest and died in Calleigh's arms. Don't you remember? You were there."

A long moment of silence crawled past and then a fresh fountain of tears sprang from Eric's eyes. "Oh my god…Frank…Calleigh… undercover…"

"There, there, Delko." Tom reached down and awkwardly patted Eric on the shoulder before grasping him firmly by the upper arm and lifting him to his feet. "Come on, into the shower with you. A good shower and then lots of hot coffee and a light breakfast; throw in some Tylenol and you'll be better in no time."

TBC.

**A/N I have absolutely no idea where Athena is taking this story. She wrested this chapter from my hands and is being rather mean about things in my opinion. Thanks again to all who are still hanging in with me for the duration. What started out as a simple idea is no longer quite so simple. LOL Hope everyone is still enjoying.**

**Lt. Caine**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Exactly one and half hours later, and three fourths of a pot of strong black coffee, and Eric was well progressed along the path toward being able to move without feeling the need to vomit. In addition to that, the nasty hangover remedy that Tom had brewed up to go with the light breakfast he fixed also played a hand in Eric's slow and painful recovery. Eric sat at the table with his hands wrapped around the coffee cup, his eyes fixed on some unseen distant object…or person. While Eric communed with his coffee cup, Tom bustled about in the kitchen as though he belonged there, cleaning up the small mess he'd made fixing breakfast for Eric. He was quite cheerful and talkative, much to Eric's profound regret.

Finally, Eric realised that Tom was not going to stop talking and he sighed deeply, then spoke.

"Tom…Tom could you hold it down just a bit?" Then as an after thought he added, "Please…"

"Oh, I'm sorry Eric. I was talking too much wasn't I?" Tom somehow managed to acknowledge, verbalize and disregard his offense all in one breath. "Are you feeling up to getting dressed now? We do need to get back to the office and get to work, you know."

"Work…" Eric muttered and shook his head. "You know, Tom, why don't you go on and I'll be there…in a little bit."

"Are you sure you want to walk?"

"Walk? What do you mean, walk?" Eric stared at Tom, puzzled.

"Well, you were much too drunk last night to drive yourself home, so I put you in a taxi and followed you home in my own car. You'll have to call to have your car towed here, or you can ride in with me. Your car is still at the bar, by the way."

"Still at the bar?!" Eric groaned and dropped his head into his hands.

"Still at the bar." Tom patted Eric on the shoulder.

It was shaping up to be a very, very long day for one Eric Delko.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour and a half later Calleigh still had not emerged from her exile into the bathroom and Horatio's storied patience was beginning to fray around the edges. He had tried everything he could think of to coax her from behind that damned bathroom door, but nothing had worked.

"Calleigh, Sweetheart, you can't hide in there forever."

"And why not? It's my bathroom isn't it?" The door between them muffled the volume of her voice but it did nothing to mask the emotion still coloring the tone.

"Calleigh Marie Duquesne…" Horatio started to growl in frustration and then checked himself. "Okay…I'll…I'll go make coffee."

"I don't like cold coffee," came her cryptic reply.

Horatio scowled at the implications of that remark. She intended to stay in the bathroom indefinitely. Shaking his head at her stubbornness, he left the bedroom and went to the kitchen. All the while he was filling the coffee pot with water and measuring out the coffee grounds he pondered their situation. Frank was dead. He, Horatio Caine had spent the night with Calleigh at her request. Things had gotten a bit out of hand. And now Calleigh was cloistered in the bathroom, refusing to come out. "Sometimes, Calleigh…sometimes…" he muttered under his breath.

A grimace marred Horatio's handsome face as he considered another time when Calleigh had "hidden" from a painful event in her professional life. After John Hagen committed suicide in her gun lab, Calleigh had completely quit ballistics for months, much to Horatio's dismay and displeasure. He knew it was her way of processing and coming to terms with the loss of the big detective, but he also knew that a repeat of that kind of "coping" was unacceptable in this case. Then it had taken a good old fashioned case of Southern Belle temper to jolt her back to reality and back into her gun lab. Perhaps it would work again. The only difference this time was the romantic complications involved.

Horatio let his mind drift while he waited for the coffee to brew. He'd been in love with Calleigh for years. Apparently the same had been true for Frank. And who could blame Frank for falling in love with Calleigh? _Yes, who could blame him? The only difference between you and him is that he acted on his emotions. You, on the other hid from your emotions, you hid from yourself and Calleigh, and you hid the emotions from Calleigh. Bit of a double standard there, don't you think? Calleigh's hiding is no different from your hiding, and here you are trying to force her out into the open in more ways than one. _Horatio's conscience lashed at him.

A flash of redheaded temper rippled through him and Horatio spasmodically slammed his hand down on the counter.

"Damn it!" he snarled. "How did this get so complicated?"

Unfortunately the coffee cups he had set out for himself and Calleigh were directly in his line of motion and one cup shattered under the impact of his hand. A jagged shard of ceramic cut deep into his hand and blood splattered all over the countertop. At the same instant the pain registered, a sound from the doorway did too and Horatio spun around to see Calleigh standing there, her gaze riveted on the gaping wound in his hand.

"Oh my god, Horatio! You're hurt."

TBC

**A/N To all my loyal readers and friends, I will first say it is very good to be back. Second I will apologize for the month long silence. It has been rather hectic to say the least. Most of the time I try to take life one day at a time, but lately several weeks have attacked me at once. LOL Please forgive my absence. **

**Lt. Caine**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

The ride in to MDPD headquarters was short but seemed to take an eternity to Eric who was forced to listen to Tom's cheerful chatter the entire way. After he weighed the options, it had sounded like a good idea to ride in with the Dr. and pick his own car up later. Ten minutes into Tom's running monologue, Eric was having second and third thoughts.

"…and I also discovered that the pancreas was…"

"Tom…I'm sure…I'm sure it was a fascinating autopsy, but I just ate breakfast you know, and I'm still a little "iffy" in the stomach department." Eric grasped at any idea that would silence Tom Loman for even a few seconds.

"Now there's a technical term you don't hear every day." Tom chuckled and continued talking. "Iffy."

Mercifully they arrived at work shortly after the "iffy" comment and Eric was only too glad to stumble out of the car and away from Tom's incessant rambling. His first instinct was to bolt into the building and get as far away from Tom as possible, but his sense of decency restrained him. Tom had helped him and for that Eric owed him a thank you at the very least.

"Listen Tom," Eric said as they walked up the steps, "I don't know if I ever thanked you for babysitting me last night. I do appreciate it, really I do. And…I'd appreciate it even more if you could just keep our evening to yourself." Eric looked at the doctor, hoping he would understand his meaning. _Please don't tell the whole department I was blind slobbering drunk last night. _Tom smiled and nodded.

"As Horatio would say, Delko… 'No worries'. I will be the soul of discretion. You can count on that."

"I knew I could count on you, Tom. So hey, thanks again. And I'll see you later."

"Any time, Delko."

Tom watched as Eric hurried away in the direction of his office. Shaking his head he smiled and then boarded the elevator.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Horatio winced as Calleigh held his bleeding hand under a stream of cold water. At the first sight of his injury she had snatched a clean kitchen towel from the drawer, wrapped his hand tightly in it and ushered him back to the very bathroom she had just left moments before his burst of temper in the kitchen.

"Hold still." She commanded. Her fingers probed the cut, searching for any stray shards of coffee cup. When she was satisfied that there was no foreign matter in the wound, she patted his hand dry and reached for the tube of antibiotic ointment.

"You're lucky," she mused as she spread the thick, gooey medicine over the cut, "another couple of centimeters deeper and you would have been looking at stitches." She placed a large bandage over the wound and pressed the adhesive firmly to his skin. "As it is, you are going to be very stiff in that hand for a while. Let's just hope you don't have to use your weapon any time soon."

Horatio said nothing, merely watched and considered. Calleigh's touch was cool, brisk and totally professional. There was nothing in her behavior that even remotely suggested the heated scene from the night before. _She's hiding again, _he thought, _only this time it's in plain sight. And if it's in plain sight then no search warrant is required. _He waited until Calleigh finished putting away the first aide supplies and then acted. Without any preamble, he reached out his good hand, curved it behind her neck and drew her toward him. Her gasp of surprise reached his ears only a second before his lips covered hers in a deep lingering kiss.

Calleigh's first reaction was to stiffen in his arms and press her hands against his chest. She wriggled free from his one handed grasp and stood there in front of him, glaring daggers.

"Horatio Caine…you…ohhhhhhh," she spluttered.

"Calleigh, don't…"

Whatever else Horatio was going to say was lost under the impact of Calleigh's hand slapping his face. For a moment he was stunned into immobility and then he raised a hand to rub at the reddened area on his cheek. _Note to self_, he thought,_ do NOT make Calleigh angry. She throws a mean right._

"That's the second time you've slapped me in less than 48 hours, Calleigh. It's getting to be a bad habit."

"Well, perhaps you shouldn't provoke me, Horatio."

"Provoke you? I kissed you. How is that provoking you?"

"Damn it, Horatio."

"Damn it, Calleigh."

Tension coiled fierce between them and they realized that they were at a crucial point in time. Unfortunately, for both of them, Horatio's phone chose that moment to ring again.

Without taking his eyes from Calleigh's angry expression, he snatched the phone from his pocket and answered, "Caine."

"_H, it's Eric. Listen we've got a new development in the credit card case. I know you're officially gone for a week, but we really need you to take a look at this. Could you come in 'unofficially' for a little bit?"_

"Unofficially, yes."

"_How's Calleigh doing?"_

"Calleigh is…Calleigh is in fine form," Horatio said, his tone of voice heavy with exasperation.

"_Good. Glad you're there with her." _

"Yes, well. I'll see you in 20."

Horatio put his phone back in his pocket and turned to leave the bathroom without saying another word to Calleigh. She followed him into the bedroom and watched as he sat down on the edge of the bed and put his shoes and socks on then reached to the bedside table and retrieved his badge and gun. He stood up and clipped them to his belt and then pulled his jacket from the back of the chair. Finally Calleigh spoke.

"I thought you were taking a week off. Doctor's orders."

The cold look in Horatio's eyes almost froze Calleigh in place and she shivered when he answered her.

"Work will probably be more restful than staying here, Calleigh, so I'm going to work."

"But Horatio…"

"Enjoy your time off, Calleigh. Get some rest. I'll be back this evening to pick up my things and I won't disturb you."

Had Horatio not been so into his own slipstream of anger, he would have noticed the tears coursing down Calleigh's face as he walked out the door and down the hall.

TBC

**A/N Wow. I had no idea where Athena would go with this chapter and she pulled a fast one on me. I think the two immovable objects have just collided. And there is a twist coming now to the case. Sigh. Athena really does keep me hopping sometimes.**

**Lt. Caine**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

When Horatio walked through the door of the tech lab and saw the looks on the faces of those present, he knew one thing for certain; he was not going to like what Tyler had found in the evidence collected from Antonio Rebadolla's laptop.

"Morning, H," Eric greeted him.

"Eric. What have we got?"

Eric looked at Tyler and nodded.

"When we tore apart Tony's computer we found a program that was designed not only to reroute money into his accounts, but also to monitor and store personal information attached to the credit cards his victims used."

"Yes. That much I know, Tyler." Horatio waited patiently for the tech to continue.

"But…when we looked at the program a little closer, we noticed a shocking characteristic."

"I'm listening."

"You're not gonna believe this Horatio," Tyler said, typing commands into his computer.

"Try me."

"When we back tracked this program, we ended up in a very familiar location to put it mildly." Tyler looked up at Horatio before he pressed enter to display the page that he had pulled up. "Do you recognize this?"

Horatio's eyes scanned the information on the screen and then widened in disbelief. "Tyler, are you certain of this?"

"Unfortunately, yes I am."

"But this is our own MDPD electronic surveillance program," Horatio countered, still not wanting to believe what his eyes were seeing.

"In a modified version, yes." Tyler confirmed.

"Now you see why I called you to come in, H." Eric spoke up. "Tony had help…from inside our own department."

"A modified version." Horatio repeated. "Care to explain that to me?"

"Well, Sir, Tony somehow modified the part of the program that was designed to monitor information so that it not only monitored, it captured the information for storage. I found a file that contained social security numbers, addresses, banking information and cell numbers from all his victims…even Tripp's personal info is there." Tyler added the last softly.

At the mention of Frank's name coldness settled in Horatio's eyes. "Show me," he commanded between clenched teeth.

Screen after screen flowed past on Tyler's computer and Horatio's countenance grew darker and darker as the true extent of Tony's crimes became all too apparent. The number of victims was triple what they had suspected, and the crimes dated back all the way to May of 2006.

"What do you want to do, H?" Eric asked.

"We find whoever helped Tony. I don't care if it takes us till next century, we find them. Frank is dead in part due to help that Tony had from inside our own department and I intend to see whoever is responsible brought to justice."

"Where do we start?" Tyler asked.

"We start with all the personnel files from 2006 and work our way forward to present. Our man or woman is in the mix somewhere and we WILL find them." Horatio answered.

"And we are looking for someone with high level computer skills." Eric mused aloud.

"Precisely. That and any connection to Antonio Rebadolla. No possibility is too small, even if it's just a thread, you follow it. I want his personal info, his elementary school, his library card, his movie rental account...anything that will give us a link."

"We are on it, H." This from Eric.

"Good work, gentlemen."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Caffeine from six cups of coffee had served no point but to make Calleigh jittery, and she found herself pacing through her condo, nerves on edge, teeth clenched and her mind a whirlwind of questions unanswered. She finally decided a shower might help and had just set out the towel and washcloth when the doorbell announced a visitor.

"Damn it." She muttered fiercely.

Angry footsteps carried her from the bathroom to the front foyer and she stood in tiptoe to peer out the peephole in the door. Surprise rendered her breathless and frozen for a moment until she recovered her faculties and fumbled to unlock and open the door.

"Horatio, I thought…"

"Yes, I told you I wouldn't be back until this evening, but we've had a big development in the case and I thought you might want to hear what Eric and Tyler discovered."

"What development could there be?" Calleigh was puzzled. "Tony is dead. Didn't that pretty much wrap up the case?"

"It's turned out not to be that easy, Calleigh."

Horatio's tone of voice set Calleigh's internal alarms to ringing. Whatever hope she had allowed to surface of Horatio's returning to set right their disagreement from earlier, withered and faded. He was here on business. She knew that look in his eye. Something was very wrong.

"I know you're officially off for a week, Calleigh, so am I. But this is bigger than we anticipated, much bigger. I'm back in the saddle for the duration. You don't have to come back, but I suspect you'll want to."

"What is it, Horatio?"

"Get ready, and I'll fill you in on the way back to headquarters."

"But what about Alexx? Won't she be very angry?"

"Sweetheart, I think even Alexx would approve in this case."

Calleigh took a deep breath and released it in the form of a sigh. "Okay…give me 20 to shower and dress?"

A nod from Horatio and Calleigh turned to walk back down the hall toward the bathroom. Before she had taken half a dozen steps, Horatio's voice stopped her.

"Calleigh?"

She turned to look back over her shoulder. Later she would describe the look on Horatio's face as pure wistfulness.

"Yes, Horatio?"

"I'm…I'm sorry about earlier."

The rush of relief that crashed through Calleigh's veins almost buckled her knees.

"So am I, Horatio. So am I."

Quick steps brought Horatio toward Calleigh and he hesitantly reached out and placed both hands on her shoulders.

"When this is all over…when this is all over maybe we can work on things." His voice was almost timid.

"I'd like that, Horatio." Hope struggled back to life in her heart.

TBC

**A/N I told you Athena threw me a curve. Hang on, this may be a wild finish.**

Lt. Caine


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Whitecaps painted orange by the setting sun danced over the waves just offshore as Theodore Goodman sat on his balcony overlooking Biscayne Bay. It was late in the evening and as usual he was enjoying his cup of coffee and the day's news on his laptop. He scrolled through the news section, looking for items of interest to him when an article caught his eye. "Local Credit Card Thief Had Help from Inside". Had anyone been close enough to actually see Ted, as he was known to his few friends, they would have seen him flinch and turn slightly pale. His eyes locked onto the article and he read intently, almost angrily until he reached the second page which showed pictures of the recently departed Antonio Rebadolla as well as a file photo of Detective Francis Tripp.

The sound of shattering ceramic and the distinct clatter of a laptop hitting the balcony floor brought the housemaid running to the sliding glass doors. At the sight of her employer flinging the patio furniture around she gasped and tried to back away from the door, intending to leave without being seen. Such luck was not hers. Her eyes widened with fear as Ted spun around to face her, his face dark with rage.

"And just what the hell do you think you're doing, Maria?" Ted thundered at the poor frightened woman.

"Nothing, Sir. Nothing. I just heard the noise and came to see if you were alright. I'm leaving."

"The hell you are!"

Maria tried to run.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Late into the night, the CSI team was still at HQ working through stacks and stacks of MDPD employment files. Horatio was working through the files between 2006 and 2007. Eric had a stack dating from 2008 to 2010. And Calleigh, who had been given the details as Horatio had promised on the way to the office, was working the files dating from 2011 to 2012. Occasionally, one of them would scribble something on a notepad and then close a file and pick up a new one.

Finally, Calleigh yawned and stood up, rubbing gingerly at her sore back and stretching in an attempt to relieve the aching in her legs.

"Anyone else need any more coffee?" she said tiredly, looking at Horatio and Eric.

Horatio's eyes reflected the same tiredness as Calleigh's but he refused to physically acknowledge just how exhausted he felt. He glanced at the clock and put down his pen.

"Eric, any progress?" Horatio asked.

"Just threads, H. Just threads."

"Can you tie them together?"

"Sorry. I'm just not finding anything to tie our boy to the department. There's no mention anywhere of an Antonio Rebadolla or even anyone named Tony in any of these files I've looked through. There's just nothing there, H."

Horatio growled softly under his breath before tagging Calleigh with a glare.

"What about you, Calleigh?"

She shook her head no, "I've got a whole lot of nothing too, If this creep did indeed have help from inside, he hid it so well it's going to take a wizard to find it."

Horatio's fist crashed into the table, upsetting his empty coffee cup. "Then we find it, damn it!"

"Easy, H," Eric soothed, "Easy. Assaulting the conference table isn't going to clear this up any faster…"

Horatio stood up from his chair and for a moment rubbed at the back of his neck where a wicked knot of tension had formed.

"Okay, You're right, Eric. Here's what we do. We get some rest now and start fresh in the morning…EARLY. Frank Tripp is dead and someone inside our own walls helped make him that way and I want to know who!"

"We'll get him, H. I promise. We'll get him...or her," Eric added as an afterthought. He gathered his stack of files from the table. "I'll see you in the morning, around 6:30?"

"6:30 is good." Horatio nodded. "Goodnight, Eric."

As soon as Eric was gone, Horatio turned to Calleigh. "Ready to go?"

"That has to be the understatement of the week." She gave him a small smile and began gathering her own files together in a neat stack. In her state of near exhaustion she was not quite as deft as normal however, and one of the manila folders slid from her grasp. It fluttered to the floor, scattering paper in a crazy pattern everywhere.

"It is indeed time to go home, Sweetheart," Horatio said almost tenderly as he knelt down and began picking up the paper from the floor.

Calleigh bent to help him, lost her balance and fell heavily against his shoulder.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Horatio…I'm just…" her voice trailed off and she closed her eyes and just lay there, resting.

Immediately, the papers were forgotten and Horatio's arms went around Calleigh's shoulders. He helped her to her feet, keeping her in his embrace all the while.

"Easy, Sweetheart. Easy. You are going home and straight to bed."

"You'll get no argument from me on that," Calleigh mumbled against his lapel.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Halfway home, the radio in Horatio's Hummer crackled to life.

"Dispatch to Lieutenant Caine."

_Oh, no. Not a call out…_ Calleigh thought. _We're both so tired. _

Horatio's eyes held the same thought as he answered tersely.

"This is Horatio, go ahead."

"Lieutenant, we just had a call come in. There's a lady in Miami General ER. Beaten up pretty badly. When the medics asked her if there was anyone she could talk to, she asked specifically for you."

"I'm on my way," Horatio responded, flicking on the lights and siren and mentally battering back the shroud of exhaustion threatening to fell him in his tracks.

"I'm coming with you." Calleigh's voice was tired, but determined.

"Sweetheart, you need to rest. I'm taking you home before I go to the hospital."

"But Horatio…"

"You're going home, Calleigh. End of discussion."

"But shouldn't I be helping you…"

"Save it, Sweetheart. You're going home."

TBC.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

After making certain that Calleigh was not going to try to accompany him to the hospital after being dropped off at her home, Horatio made his way through the darkened streets to Miami General Hospital. Once there, he consulted with the nurse at the information desk and procured clearance to proceed to Maria's room even though visiting hours were long since expired. At the door of Maria's room, he knocked softly and was answered with a timid, "Come in."

The shock of recognition hit Horatio like a ton of bricks when he stepped close to the bed and looked down at the battered face of the woman who lay there. Maria was a witness from a case he and Frank had worked several years before involving a domestic dispute that had turned into a double homicide. Maria had been in the house when the incident occurred and was fearful of testifying against the defendant. Horatio's patient counseling and handling of her had convinced her to take the stand, and the husband was put away for life for the murder of his wife and daughter, based on Maria's testimony. After the trial, Horatio had given Maria one of his cards and told her to call him if she ever needed him. Now here she lay in this hospital bed, beaten, battered, severely injured, and asking for his help.

"Maria?" Horatio said softly, reaching to take one of her hands in his, "Maria how did…how did this happen? Who did this to you?"

Maria looked up at Horatio and whispered, "My employer."

"Your employer? Who is your employer?" Horatio asked quietly, all the while stroking the back of Maria's hand in a comforting manner.

Frightened brown eyes squeezed shut and a pair of tears slid silently down Maria's bruised face.

"Maria," Horatio's voice was gentle. "Sweetheart, you know I will protect you. Tell me who did this to you. Help me get him so he can never do this again."

"He'll kill me," Maria sobbed.

"I'm not going to let that happen, Maria. You trusted me the last time. I'm asking you to trust me again."

Maria bit her lip in a moment of indecision and finally whispered a name. Her voice was so low and tentative that Horatio had to bend down toward her face to hear what she said.

"_His name is Theodore Goodman. He lives in the Miami Shores building. Condo number 321."_

"That's my girl," Horatio murmured softly. He gently brushed a lock of Maria's hair from her forehead and smiled before placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "Now rest, Maria, and leave it all to me. Can you do that for me? I'll take care of everything. Okay?"

Maria nodded and closed her eyes wearily. Horatio watched as her entire body seemed to relax with the knowledge that she could trust him to keep her safe.

Quietly, Horatio left the room and stepped into the hall. He pulled his cell from his pocket and called Eric. Thirty minutes later, a uniformed MDPD officer strode down the hall and took up a position just outside Maria's room.

"No one gets in but medical staff, myself or other MDPD personnel. Is that clear?" Horatio said.

"Yes, Sir."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Calleigh sighed and sat up on the edge of the bed. Neither the long soaking bath in her favorite bath salts, nor the steaming cup of chamomile tea she had sipped before climbing into bed had served to relax her enough to grant her the sleep she so very much needed. Physically as tired as she was, she was just too wound up mentally and emotionally to sleep.

"I might as well get up and have some coffee," she yawned. A quick glance at the clock told her that it was after midnight. "No sense in tossing and turning all night."

Calleigh arched her back and stretched before standing up and padding barefooted out the door and down the hall toward the kitchen. In almost no time she had a cup of decaffeinated coffee in hand and was ensconced in her favorite chair in the living room. She curled her legs up beneath her and laid her head against the back of the chair, savoring the feel of supple leather against her skin. A touch of the remote lying on the mahogany end table beside her had filled the room with muted light, giving the area a comforting twilight appearance. Soft music from the audio system further enhanced the relaxing aura of the room and Calleigh sighed, sinking deeper into the cushions of the chair. An hour passed, and finally the combination of low light, soft music, her favorite drink and sheer exhaustion won out over the frenetic energy that plagued her and she drifted into a deep sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Weariness dogged Horatio's steps as he trudged up the walk toward Calleigh's condo. As he fit the key into the lock and opened the door, he realized belatedly that the lights were still on inside. He smiled to himself at Calleigh's thoughtful gesture, and allowed himself a moment to savor the idea of having someone at home waiting to welcome him at the end of a very long and tiring day. Pocketing the key, he closed and locked the door behind him and started down the hall toward Calleigh's bedroom. As he passed the living room, a slight movement caught his eye and he spun toward the flicker of motion, his hand dropping instinctively toward his weapon. The sight that met his eyes sent a rush of tender emotion flooding through his body.

Calleigh lay curled up, sound asleep in the overstuffed leather chair by the end table. Her hand was still curved loosely around an empty coffee cup, which had fallen into her lap.

"Sweetheart," Horatio whispered.

Taking great care to make no noise, Horatio crossed the space between them and reached down to ease the cup from Calleigh's lax grasp. For a moment he hesitated, hating to wake her from what he knew was much needed sleep, then he stooped slightly and slid one arm under her knees, and the other behind her shoulders and lifted her into his arms.

She didn't move a muscle, and Horatio bushed a soft kiss over her cheek.

"Sleep, Sweetheart," he murmured.

A few steps down the hall and he was at her bedroom door. He nudged it open with his shoulder and stepped inside. Carefully he laid Calleigh down on the bed and eased the covers up over her body, then he swiftly divested himself of his own clothing and settled into bed beside her, cuddling her close to his chest. Sleep granted him just enough time to savor the feeling of her slender form nestled against his bare skin before he succumbed to the irresistible allure of dreams.

TBC


End file.
